There are some very “happy feet” at the Penguin House right now: our king penguins have a new chick in their group! A few weeks ago, the keepers were amazed to spot one of the females incubating an egg beneath her fold of belly skin. This was especially exciting as our king penguins haven’t welcomed any chicks for a while now. Most recently, a pair of males tried to hatch an adopted egg together – but without success. King penguins do not build nests, instead they carry a single egg on their feet, keeping it nice and warm under a fold of abdominal skin. The egg hatched on Saturday, and out popped the fluffiest creature currently residing at the Zoo. The chick will continue to be kept warm and safe by mum and dad, who take turns caring for the baby. Everyone at Zoo Berlin will be keeping their fingers, fins and feathers crossed that the little penguin makes it through the crucial early weeks safe and sound! With a bit of luck, visitors to the Penguin House might catch a glimpse of the cute chick’s fluffy dark plumage sticking out from between its parents’ webbed feet.
