African Penguin Chicks Make Adorable Debut
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Two African penguin chicks, less than a month old, made their first public debut Thursday.
The fuzzy 3-and-a-half week old chicks made their first introduction at the National Aviary before they will be available to visitors.
The chicks got a medical exam and were fed during their introduction.
"We listen to its heart and lungs and we actually listen to its sinuses too," said Dr. Pilar Fish, director of veterinary medicine.
Hatched on Dec. 15 and 18, they are both doing well. They're healthy, happy and gaining weight.
"Penguins grow incredibly quickly, so they are a little more than a pound now and within two months, they will be adult size -- which is roughly somewhere between 4 and 6 pounds," said Fish.
They just don't have names yet, and it will likely be another week or so before we know their genders.
They chicks have also learned how to be fed by hand.
Because the penguins are an endangered species, the staff is thankful to have two new babies to look after.
Thousands tuned in to watch the chicks hatch on the National Aviary's penguin nest cam.
According to the aviary, the cam got more than 200,000 views.
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