Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo
BALTIMORE, MD – The largest population of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in North America just got a little bigger. Maryland Zoo is pleased to announce the recent hatch of two chicks.
Breeding season at the Zoo begins in mid-September and lasts until the end of February, mimicking the spring-to-summer breeding season for these birds in their native South Africa and Namibia.
“The size of the wild population is dropping which means every chick we add is an important part of this species’ global survival,” said Maryland Zoo Bird Curator, Jen Kottyan.
Despite being a protected species, the number of wild African penguins has declined dramatically. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently re-classified this species as critically-endangered. There is a real chance the birds will become extinct in the wild within ten years.
Maryland Zoo has the largest collection of African penguins in North America. More than 1,000 chicks have hatched here over the past 50 years. While most stay here in Baltimore, these animals have helped establish new colonies at zoos and aquariums in 35 states and six countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and South Africa.
Earlier this year, Kottyan was appointed to be the Program Leader for the African Penguin Species Survival Plan© (SSP), overseeing African penguin breeding programs at zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
