CHICAGO (AP) 鈥 It鈥檚 bright and early at Chicago鈥檚 Shedd Aquarium and the penguin population鈥檚 newest member is ready for a wellness check.
A fuzzy brown southern rockhopper chick is gently plopped onto a scale in an exam room and Shedd鈥檚 penguin team members are happy with the results. So, it seems, is the chick, who waves its flippers in the air and stretches out its neck.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e doing the happy flaps!鈥 says senior trainer Katy Roxbury, who offers the chick bits of herring.
The first southern rockhopper penguin hatched at Shedd in eight years came out of its shell on June 16. The aquarium made modifications to the exhibit area and brought in a few new female penguins last year as part of the rockhopper breeding program. Shedd's penguin colony also includes Magellanic penguins.
鈥淲e were very excited when we found out that this egg was fertile,鈥 says penguin and otter supervisor Megan Vens-Policky. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been monitoring it closely. We鈥檙e seeing great growth and we鈥檙e seeing very attentive behavior from the parents, so we couldn鈥檛 be happier with how things are going.鈥
The chick鈥檚 parents, Edward and Annie, became famous in 2020 when they joined the aquarium鈥檚 鈥渇ield trips,鈥 visiting locations such as the nearby Field Museum and Soldier Field while the aquarium was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the daily wellness exam, the chick is weighed to see how much food it鈥檚 getting from mom and dad. Aquarium team members also offer additional food items, which helps the chick become comfortable with being handled.
The chick will remain nameless for three months while the penguin team focuses on its health and development. The sex of the chick will be determined by testing DNA from inside its egg shell.
Shedd is part of the Species Survival Plan, a global conservation program designed to optimize the genetics and health of the rockhopper population within accredited zoos and aquariums.
鈥淭he southern rockhopper population is a population of concern out in the wild so it鈥檚 one we definitely want to learn more about,鈥 says Vens-Policky.
