New penguins settle in at Dudley Zoo after devastating malaria outbreak
Dudley Zoo's three new Humboldt penguins are settling in well to their Black Country home and are getting on swimmingly with the other penguins.
The zoo acquired the rare chicks at the end of March after a devastating malaria outbreak in January 2022 which killed 65 out of its 70 penguins.
After settling in at the zoo in an off-show area, the three juveniles are now with the zoo's remaining five penguins in the public walkthrough exhibit.
The three new boys who travelled from Curraghs Wildlife Park in the Isle of Man have joined females Banjo, Sparky, Nell, and Jake, as well as male, Elliot.
On Tuesday, Dudley Zoo said: "It’s World Penguin Day and our three new Humboldt arrivals are settling in well to their new home!
"Bird Keepers have now integrated the youngsters with our resident five penguins in the public walkthrough exhibit and they’re all getting on swimmingly!
"You’ll be able to tell them apart for the time being as the juveniles, who recently arrived from the Isle of Man, don’t have the recognisable black band on their chest, although that will appear when they gain their adult plumage.
"Today’s also an apt day to reinforce our commitment to penguin conservation, with Dudley Zoo pledging £1,000 for five years for Sphenisco, an in-situ project which works in Chile and Peru to save the Humboldt penguin from extinction."
The zoo hopes the three new arrivals are a step in the right direction to rebuilding their beloved penguin colony.
To find out more about the work of Sphenisco, go to sphenisco.org/en/.
