2023-09-28 07:34:25
For the first time since keeping king penguins began in 1976, there are two chicks at Schönbrunn Zoo. “Breeding king penguins is still rarely successful in zoos. We have often successfully bred the second largest penguin species, but until now there has only ever been one chick. The fact that there are two this year is a huge success,” says zoo director Stephan Hering -Hagenbeck.
However, the double breeding success is not pure luck. A lot has been done in the background. As part of the European Conservation Breeding Program (EEP), attempts have been made over the years to achieve a balanced sex ratio and to put together a homogeneous colony.
The two chicks hatched on July 23rd and August 5th, but they were not easy to see at first. “King penguins do not build nests, they carry the egg on their feet under a fold in their stomach and incubate it that way. After hatching, the chicks continue to be kept warm and well protected. During this time they only occasionally look out from between their parents’ feet.” said Folko Balfanz, head of the zoological department. The chicks have now grown considerably – thanks to the caring care of their parents, who take turns feeding them pre-digested fish. They lose their dense downy coat with their first moult at around ten months of age. Then they get water-repellent feathers and can make their first attempts at swimming.
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