Chester Zoo is celebrating after a same-sex penguin couple hatched their adopted chick in what zookeepers hailed as a ‘bumper year’ for the threatened species.
Gay ‘lovebirds’ Scampi and Flounder brought the Humboldt hatchling into the world in April and have spent the first few weeks nested in their burrow. Their baby will soon join the zoo’s 63-strong penguin colony.
The adorable new arrival is one of 10 to have been born to their adoring parents between April 16 and 28.
Chester Zoo said another penguin pair, Wotsit and Peach, laid two eggs before the ‘devoted duo’ Scampi and Flounder stepped in to help to raise one.
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Experts carefully divided the eggs between the two couple’s nests to give the chicks the ‘best possible start’ and to improve the chances of ‘successful fledging’ – meaning the transformation process when penguin chick lose their fluffy down feathers and develop waterproof adult feathers.
Keepers at Chester Zoo have been giving the new penguin parents plenty of extra fish to support them during this important time.
The adult penguins swallow, blend into a protein-rich soup and then regurgitate to feed the chicks.
Each new arrival is also weighed and has their airways checked regularly to help monitor their development – often tripling or even quadrupling in size in just a few weeks.
The medium-sized Humboldt penguin is from the coastal regions of Peru and Chile.
As they are one of the most vulnerable of the world’s penguin species, Scampi and Flounder’s new chick is a welcome new addition.
In 2023, a survey found 842 Humboldt breeding pairs or active nests in two islands off the coast of Chile.
A year later, scientist found just one breeding pair, Reuters reported.
Chester Zoo announced the new arrivals on Instagram, writing: ‘We’ve welcome 10 Humboldt penguin chicks – and you’re about to fall in love with every one of them!
‘Watch them grow from tiny hatchlings to chunky chicks.’
Zoe Sweetman, Team Manager of Penguins, said: ‘Ten chicks hatching in one season marks a bumper year for the penguins here.
‘It’s fantastic news for the species and a brilliant success for the international conservation breeding programme.
‘The fluffy new arrivals are all being looked after brilliantly by their parents, having nearly quadrupled in size since they first emerged!’
She added that they were just days away from taking to the water, saying it was ‘always a thrill to witness as they dive into the pool for the very first time’.
In keeping with tradition, the zoo’s keepers have picked a new theme for the names of the chicks hatched.
Previous themes have included chocolate bars, brands of crisps and even NHS heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘This year we’ve gone with a celestial theme for naming the chicks and we’ve had a lot of fun coming up with names inspired by stars, constellations and cosmic wonders,’ Zoe said.
While eight of the ten chicks have been named – Ursa, Alcyone, Quasar, Orion, Dorado, Cassiopeia, Altair and Xena – the final two will be chosen by the public, via submissions on Chester Zoo’s social media pages.
Same-sex relationships are not unheard of in the penguin world and a gay pair called Sphen and Magic became world-famous after raising two chicks at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in 2020.
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