Featured Image Credit: San Diego Zoo.
By: Sarah Sharkey
Earlier this summer, a pair of young penguins learned how to swim at the San Diego Zoo. The
two juveniles, Lucas and Dot, recently made their debut into the Cape Fynbos habitat with the
29 other adult penguins at the San Diego Zoo.
The chicks were raised by hand with vigilant zoo staff. It took many weeks of planning before
they were able to be introduced to the larger habitat. One of the biggest hurdles was teaching
the young penguins to swim in a smaller private pool.
Once the chicks seemed ready to go to the larger habitat, the zookeepers introduced them to
the bigger birds slowly. When the chicks first got into the habitat they were climbing around the
enclosure and enjoying swimming in a larger pool. For several weeks, the staff took the chicks
out of the new habitat at night. Any time they spent in the habitat was closely monitored by
zoo staff. Although there were no problems, it was a precaution to ensure the safety of these
young birds. Luckily, everything went smoothly, and the birds are settled into their new home.
Lucas and Dot are not related to the other penguins in the enclosure. They were hatched as
eggs from the Minnesota Zoo as part of a breeding loan. The young African penguins will
hopefully provide more genetic diversity to the colony at the San Diego Zoo.
Read more from the source.