Endangered Humboldt penguin hatches at Akron Zoo

AKRON, Ohio - An endangered species of penguin hatched at the Akron Zoo and it expected to be on exhibit any day now.

There were several Humboldt penguin eggs laid this spring at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, so they called on the Akron Zoo to help foster eggs.

On March 26, the Akron Zoo received two fertile eggs, but only one hatched. The zoo said that is not uncommon. The successful egg was fostered by a pair of penguins, Carlos and Penva, who already had a few chicks of their own.

Antia was born on April 8 and now weighs 5.5 pounds. Her name means “invaluable,” which seems pretty appropriate for this critically endangered penguin.

While Antia is still in the burrow with her parents, she could emerge at any time and will be on exhibit at Penguin Point. The penguin chick cannot eat on her own so her parents chow down on capelin and smelt, then regurgitate it into her mouth.

Humboldt penguins are endangered mostly because of commercial harvesting of guano for fertilizer in Peru and Chili. It is estimated they will be extinct in the wild in the next 10 years.

The Akron Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Admission is $10 for adults, $8.50 for seniors and $7 for children ages 2 to 14. Children under 2 years old are free. Parking is $2. For more information go to www.akronzoo.org