King penguin chick hatches in UK heatwave

2 hours ago

Joe SkirkowskiWest of England

News image — The new arrival weighs 188g (6.6oz) but could weigh up to 18kg (39lbs) as an adult

Birdland Park and Gardens A newly-hatched king penguin chick, which is a silvery-grey colour and has wrinkled skin, pecks at a stuffed toy of an adult penguin. — The new arrival weighs 188g (6.6oz) but could weigh up to 18kg (39lbs) as an adult

A wildlife park is celebrating the hatching of the first king penguin chick in the UK since 2014.

The chick weighed 188g (6.6oz) when it hatched and is being hand-reared by keepers at Birdland Park and Gardens in Gloucestershire, who previously had to move the egg to an incubator for safety reasons.

The egg belongs to parents French and Frank, with staff at the zoo saying the chick has already overcome several obstacles to survive - including the heat.

"While everyone else has been talking about how to keep cool this summer, we've spent the past few weeks concentrating on one very important little penguin," said Alistair Keen, head of living collection at the park.

"There's a long way to go and we won't be taking anything for granted, but we're delighted with the progress so far."

Birdland Park and Gardens Alistair King smiles at the camera and holds up the small, grey, king penguin chick. It is about the same size of the palm of his hand. — Alistair King says "every feed and every bit of weight gained is another encouraging step forward" for the chick

King penguin parents share incubation duties by putting eggs on top of their feet and covering them with a fold of fat.

However, keepers moved the egg to an incubator after Frank incorrectly positioned the egg between himself and French.

The park said the egg was also slightly smaller than expected, weighing 298g (10oz) - just one of the challenges Keen said the chick had to overcome.

"French was a first-time breeder, Frank is an elderly gentleman by king penguin standards, and the egg itself was smaller than average," he said. "But nature has surprised us in the best possible way."

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The incubation period lasted for two months and it may be another 16 months before the chick fledges.

"Finally seeing that little chick emerge from the egg was a wonderful moment for the entire team," said Keen.

"[It] is now being hand-reared by our team, so although reaching this point is a huge milestone, there is still a great deal of work ahead.

"We're monitoring it extremely closely and every feed and every bit of weight gained is another encouraging step forward."

Once fully grown, the chick could weigh as much as 18kg (39lbs).

Birdland Park Head and shoulders shot of two king penguins in a zoo enclosure with thick black feathers, an orange breast and bleak and a white chest. — The egg belongs to parents French and Frank

Visitors to Birdland will have to wait a while before they get to meet the new arrival as the chick is being kept behind the scenes during its early weeks.

The park, in Bourton-on-the-Water, also completed the most recent successful hatching of a king penguin in the UK in 2014.

It described the process of breeding king penguins as "notoriously difficult," as the birds only lay a single egg at a time and breeding cycles can be years apart.