BOSTON (WHDH) - Two African penguins made their debut at the New England Aquarium Thursday.
The siblings, older brother Bunker and younger sister Althea, were born in March and have joined the rest of the aquarium’s penguin colony after months of care behind the scenes.
“Both Althea and Bunker have been doing really well socializing slowly with other birds downstairs, but it’s going to be a big adjustment having them move to an area that has almost 50 of them,” said penguin trainer Mia Luzietti.
“They’re definitely going to get a few corrections here and there from the adults, but there’s no better penguin parent than a penguin and there’s no better penguin trainer than a penguin, so we let the adults show them the ropes,” she continued.
Born to parents Malgas II and Demersus III, the chicks have grown to roughly 40 times their weight at hatching.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch our penguins grow from tiny fluffballs that can fit in the palm of a hand to the adult-sized juveniles that they are today,” Eric Fox, assistant curator of penguins, said in a statement.
“Not only does it show the dedication of our Animal Care team, it’s also part of a much greater mission: To help support the Species Survival Plan for this endangered species,” Fox continued. “Knowing that African penguins could go extinct as soon as 2035, these chicks are a reminder that we are taking direct action toward the conservation of their species.”
Bunker was named after the bunkering of ships in South Africa, Namibia, and the surrounding area — which can be very detrimental to the species, according to Luzietti. Althea was named after Althea Westphal, who founded the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
Bunker and Althea have been working on eating larger species of fish and getting acclimated with their new colony.
Two other new chicks, born in April, will likely join the colony in July.
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