As a little comfort after the tragic death of one of the world’s most famous penguins earlier this year, Sydney can now say hello to the world’s first-ever zoo-born Fiordland Penguin chicks. Now 12- and 9-weeks-old, these fluffy little bird babies hatched earlier this year at Taronga Zoo Sydney as part of the the only global zoo-based breeding program for the threatened species.
Endemic to New Zealand, Fiordland Penguins (also known as Tawaki or Fiordland Crested Penguins) are listed as a threatened species, and Taronga’s breeding program is aiming to support the dwindling population of these adorable aquatic birds. Threats to these cuties in the wild – including habitat destruction, introduced predators (such as rats, stoats and ferrets, which prey on penguin chicks and eggs), fishing and pollution – have seen the population dwindle to around 2,500 to 3,000 breeding pairs globally, and Taronga Zoo’s conservation efforts are informed by observing their behaviour at the zoo.
Taronga’s existing Fiordland Penguin colony is made up of four penguins who were found malnourished on Australian beaches, requiring treatment at Taronga’s Wildlife Hospital, and another who joined the colony in 2017 after receiving treatment from Wellington Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital for extensive wounds. These rescued creatures paired up to form two penguin couples (and one fifth wheel, we’re thinking of you) who have now gone on to hatch healthy fledglings. The two couples, Ed and Dusky and Munro and Moeraki, are the proud parents of two silly-cute fledgling penguins: one who has fully fledged and is dipping its flippers in the zoo’s seawater habitat, and a younger chick who is still moulting its fluffy down before leaving the nest.
“The Fiordland Penguin breeding program at Taronga is very important because of their vulnerable status in the wild," says Taronga Senior Marine Keeper Jo Walker. "By being able to observe what they do in their burrows, how and what they feed their chicks is all ground-breaking information that has never been observed before.
“Through this zoo-based breeding program at Taronga, and with the help of CCTV monitoring, we continue to find out everything there is to learn about the elusive breeding and nesting behaviours of Fiordland Penguins in our care, which in turn helps their cousins in the wild,” says Walker.
If you’re keen to see these adorable fluffy babies, your best chance is at Taronga Zoo’s daily Penguin Keeper Talk, which takes place at 2.40pm every day.
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