LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock Zoo welcomed a black feathery friend on Aug. 19 with the hatching of an African penguin chick, an endangered species.
But the birth was more than a celebration of a new family member.
Zoo officials said it's the first time they've successfully hatched a chick using artificial incubation and returned it to its parents in the nest.
"The chick was being monitored quite closely," Little Rock Zoo officials said. "Welcome to the world, little penguin!"
In a Facebook post, the zoo stated that the African penguin's parents, Gable and Bugsby, whom the African Penguin Species Survival Plan recommended breeding, had a "history" of raising chicks.
"[Gable and Bugsby] won't be winning any 'parents-of-the-year awards' anytime soon," zoo officials said.
Because of this, zoo officials switched gears after "multiple unsuccessful attempts" to return the chick to its parents in the nest.
Instead, they sought foster help from penguins Skipper and Eze, whom the Little Rock Zoo called "super parents."
"[Skipper and Eze] are actually this chick's grandparents," zoo officials said. "It takes a village!"
According to the Little Rock Zoo, Skipper and Exe have raised several chicks and were "very excited to help."
The African penguin chick, whose sex is yet to be determined, is still nesting and is not part of the exhibit yet.
