Two African penguin chicks have hatched at the Maryland Zoo.
African penguins were recently reclassified as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as the birds’ population has plummeted.
“The size of the wild population is dropping which means every chick we add is an important part of this species’ global survival,” said Jen Kottyan, the Maryland Zoo’s bird curator.
Kottyan was appointed as the program leader for the African Penguin Species Survival Plan earlier this year. In that role, Kottyan oversees African penguin breeding programs at zoos that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Without intervention, the species could become extinct in the wild within 10 years, Maryland Zoo officials said.
The Maryland Zoo is home to North America’s largest number of African penguins, with more than 1,000 chicks hatched there over the past 50 years.
Most of the African penguin chicks hatched at the Maryland Zoo stay in Baltimore, but some are sent to zoos and aquariums in 35 states – as well as six countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and South Africa – to help establish colonies.
