Skip to Content

Pair of penguin chicks hatch at California Academy of Sciences

By Web staff

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park announced Thursday the hatching of two new African penguin chicks, the first new chicks to hatch there since 2018.

The two chicks hatched last week on Nov. 1 and Nov. 3 and their names will be determined by a naming contest in January.

A 7-year-old male penguin named Bernie and a 4-year-old female penguin named Stanlee — the most recent penguin to hatch at the Academy — are the biological parents of the two chicks, though one will be fostered by other penguins there. Scientists at the Academy estimate that the chicks will be able to join the other 13 African penguins in the colony there by late January.

African penguins have been an endangered species since 2010, with only an estimated 10,000 breeding pairs left in the wild, according to the Academy of Sciences.

Brenda Melton, director of animal care and welfare at the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium, said in a statement that the African penguins “face a very real risk of extinction in their natural environment” and that the Academy is helping in critical conservation work for the species.

While the new chicks won’t be seen by the public at the Academy until next year, a live feed of the rest of the African penguin colony can be seen at calacademy.org/learn-explore/animal-webcams/live-penguin-cams.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

Jump to comments ↓

CNN Newsource

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content