BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The Maryland Zoo, home to the largest collection of African penguins in North America, has announced the hatching of eight critically endangered chicks this breeding season.
The arrivals mark another hopeful step for a species facing the real possibility of extinction in the wild within the next decade.
“The number of African penguins in the wild is dropping,” said Maryland Zoo Bird Curator, Jen Kottyan, who is also the Program Leader for the African Penguin Species Survival Plan overseeing African penguin breeding programs at zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
ALSO READ | ‘THIS JUST TIN’: Old Bay celebrates return to tin packaging with launch event in Baltimore
In keeping with a long-standing Zoo tradition, the penguin care team selects a naming theme each year. For 2025, the new arrivals will be named after fruits and vegetables.
The first two names, Kiwi and Cayenne, were unveiled Monday, with more to come in the weeks ahead.
Breeding season at the Maryland Zoo typically runs from mid-September through February, mirroring the spring and summer breeding patterns of African penguins native to South Africa and Namibia.
“If we can fix the issues these birds face in the wild, such as overfishing and habitat loss, one day penguins from our highly managed SSP could be sent to their native South Africa and Namibia to repopulate the wild colonies, which means every chick hatched here is important to this species’ global survival,” Kottyan added, via press release.
The threat to wild African penguins has grown increasingly urgent, according to zoo officials. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently reclassified the species as critically endangered.
The Maryland Zoo has played a central role in conservation efforts for decades.
ALSO READ | Maryland State Police investigating crash on Route 10 in Anne Arundel County
More than 1,000 African penguin chicks have hatched there over the last 50 years, with many helping to establish or strengthen colonies at zoos and aquariums in 35 U.S. states and Canada.
More information about the penguins and conservation programs is available at marylandzoo.org or on the Zoo’s social media platforms.
Local Story
