New inhabitants were born in the Gdańsk zoo. These are four Cape penguins. Now, counting the hatched chicks, there are already 80 of them in the garden. According to the Gdańsk Zoo, this species has recently been classified as critically endangered.
The group of Cape penguins at the Gdańsk zoo increases every year with new chicks. Now four more have hatched.
-Our group consists of over 80 individuals. Last year, 13 chicks hatched. This year we have four and we are satisfied at the moment. All houses were occupied, but this does not always mean a certain breeding success, says Monika Dmochowska, head of the bird section. – Once again, Kokosanka also tried her hand at it, but everything indicates that this year she will have to put motherhood on the back burner – she adds.
Penguins hatched in the Gdańsk zooZOO Gdańsk
In 100 years, their population decreased by 90 percent
Cape penguins live in the wild on the coasts and islands of southern Africa. Adult birds lead a sedentary lifestyle. The young disperse outside the colony during the moulting period.
Cape penguins have recently been classified as a critically endangered species. The wild boar population is approximately 10,000. par. In a hundred years it has decreased by over 90%. They are threatened by fishing, ocean pollution and climate change.
Penguins in the Gdańsk zooZOO Gdańsk
The Gdańsk zoo is famous for being the only one in the world that has an albino Cape penguin. The albino baby cocoon, as it is called, hatched in December 2018.
Read also: An albino girl from Gdańsk is “Penguin of the Year”. She outclassed rivals from all over the world
Kokosanka owes its uniqueness to disorders of the metabolism of the enzyme tyrosinase. Its lack in albinos does not allow the transformation of the melanin precursor into full-value melanin. This genetic pigmentation anomaly is manifested by the absence of the pigment – melanin – present in the skin and its products, e.g. in fur and feathers.
Additionally, albino individuals have red eyes due to the lack of pigmentation in the iris. The lack of pigment makes us see blood vessels in the eyes.
The Gdańsk zoo is home to almost 150 species of animals and over 850 individuals.
A coconut in the Gdańsk zooZOO Gdańsk
Main photo source: ZOO Gdańsk