Three African penguin chicks have hatched in captivity in the US . It is reported by the Associated Press.
Over the past decades, the number of African penguins has declined sharply, and they are listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Only in the last two years their number has decreased by 23%. In the wild, these birds live in South Africa , Nambia and the surrounding islands, adults grow up to 70 centimeters and 5 kilograms.
“So any successful hatching is something to celebrate,” says Jess Peranto, one of the staff at the OdySea aquarium where the chicks hatched.
The breeding program set up by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums aims to create a viable genetic pool for the species. The organization says two of the three chicks came from the same clutch, made by Mojo and Lemieux, a “powerful” breeding pair that was matched by experts. A third chick was born to “rookie” parents Bubbles and Weasley.
The chicks have not yet been named, nor is their gender known. At the moment they are known under the numbers 42, 43 and 44.
In total, there are 40 African penguins in the OdySea aquarium, 13 successful hatchings have been recorded in all the time.
Previously, biologists found that voles born by cesarean have forgotten how to love.
