FORT WORTH, Texas — A “baby boom” at the Fort Worth Zoo continued with the hatching of a rockhopper penguin chick, the zoo announced Thursday.
The chick, which zoo staff named Darcy, is the first-ever rockhopper chick to hatch in Fort Worth Zoo history.
“Because of their vulnerable status in the wild with populations declining, the Zoo is celebrating this major conservation success. There have only been 36 rockhopper penguin chicks hatched in the last three years across all accredited zoos and aquariums,” the zoo said in a press release.
Darcy was born Dec. 21, and zoo officials say she will be fully grown by 3 months old.
” When she received her first exam, she already weighed 2.65 pounds – just big enough to fit in the palms of keepers’ hands! She left the nest for the first time on Jan. 15, using this opportunity to stretch her legs and explore her habitat. She is still covered in baby fuzz, but as she grows her waterproof feathers, she is expected to start swimming with the other rockhoppers in the next few months,” according to a press release from the zoo.
Darcy’s parents, Fredrick and Dot, have been caring for the hatchling, and zoo officials say the rest of the colony has been watchful as well.
Zoogoers can visit Darcy themselves in the Penguins' habitat.
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