Tomorrow is World Penguin Day. In keeping with this, Schönbrunn Zoo is introducing its youngest offspring: northern rockhopper penguin chicks.
A story couldn't start better. Exactly on World Penguin Day, Schönbrunn Zoo is presenting the perfect offspring. “In our Polarium, visitors can currently observe how rockhopper penguin pairs raise their young, taking turns warming and feeding them in the nest,” says the zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.
The first two chicks hatched on March 31st and have already been taken over by the animal care team, who are ensuring that they continue to develop well before they are returned later socialization goes into the group. Schönbrunn Zoo is one of the few zoological gardens in Europe that hosts a zoo every year successful breeding can look forward to this highly endangered species of penguin. Optimal conditions in the facility, a suitable breeding group and an experienced team of keepers are the foundations of this success.
Ambassador for conservation
The Northern rockhopper penguin is around 55 cm tall when fully grown and has distinctive yellow tufts of feathers on its head. In its homeland in the southern Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans, it is endangered due to overfishing and pollution highly endangered. Climate change is also giving him a hard time.
Schönbrunn Zoo has been coordinating this since 2015 European conservation breeding program (EEP) of the northern rockhopper penguins. He is responsible for breeding across Europe and also makes his expert knowledge available. The EEP also ensures that a so-called Rescue plan is developed. Hering-Hagenbeck: “This emergency plan regulates what happens if, for example, an oil spill threatens the colonies in the wild. Who could care for the animals in such a case? In such cases, zoological gardens can also help with their expertise.”
All further information below www.zoovienna.at
