We Love Lucy: Welcoming Our New Penguin Chick
Our flock of African penguins has grown to 26 with the addition of our newest chick, Lucy!
Born in October 2024, Lucy faced a challenging start to life. After hatching, she developed a respiratory illness that required several weeks of specialized care. Our expert Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine teams made the critical decision to hand-rear the chick in the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital’s Small Animal Intensive Care Unit, where she received treatment, supplemental oxygen, and devoted round-the-clock care.
Thanks to their dedicated efforts, Luc made a full recovery and is now thriving at Pinnacol African Penguin Point.
We’re excited to introduce Lucy to the public later this month and highlight the vital role our breeding program plays in protecting this Critically Endangered species.
Behind the Scenes of Penguin Conservation at DZCA
Helping protect African penguins is no small task. At DZCA, we’ve developed a carefully controlled breeding program designed to maximize the species’ genetic diversity and give each chick the best chance at survival.
The process begins with a critical step: an egg swap. A wooden egg is temporarily placed in the nest to ensure the penguins continue incubating while the real egg is carefully transported to our Avian Propagation Center. This 14,000-square-foot facility, one of the largest of its kind in the nation, specializes in breeding and protecting endangered and critically endangered bird species and advancing global conservation efforts.
At the Avian Propagation Center, the real egg is placed in an incubator for precise temperature control and development monitoring. Our Animal Care Specialists also meticulously manage the egg’s weight loss during development, a key factor in ensuring the chick is good physical condition to hatch. Once the egg is ready to hatch, it is returned to the parents, who naturally take over caring for their chick.
This approach reflects the unwavering dedication of our Animal Care Specialists, who work tirelessly to ensure every chick has the best possible start in life, contributing to the survival of these precious species.
A Future for African Penguins
African penguins were recently reclassified from Endangered to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. They face many threats in the wild like habitat loss and declining fish populations. Our breeding program contributes to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, a collaborative effort to maintain genetically diverse and healthy populations of animals in human care.
Each successful hatching contributes to global conservation efforts, offering hope for the future of this incredible species.
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