Adorable new arrivals amongst the penguins at Loro Parque

Once again, Loro Parque has announced the arrival of some cute new arrivals: the first chinstrap penguin chick has been born at „Planet Penguin“. This species has only been resident at the zoo on Tenerife for around two years and is considered extremely sensitive, making breeding it a major challenge.

Reklame hier ausblenden!

As early as 11 December, Loro Parque welcomed its newest resident. The chick was born weighing 88 grams and was subsequently hand-reared.

When reared by hand, penguin chicks are fed a fish-based mash enriched with vitamins and calcium. The little birds eat around ten per cent of their own body weight.

For six weeks, five meals a day are served, after which the chicks are switched to two feedings a day. After 47 days, the little penguin has reached a weight of just under 750 grams and begins to socialise within the group.

Loro Parque produces twelve tonnes of snow every day for the penguins

The chinstrap penguin, also known as the banded penguin, lives near Antarctica. At 41 to 61 centimetres, it is considered medium-sized for its species. Chinstrap penguins reach a weight of five to eight kilograms. When foraging for food, the birds dive to depths of up to 70 metres. In the wild, they feed on krill, fish and crustaceans.

At the presentation, Loro Parque pointed out that the birth of penguin chicks should be seen as an indicator of a good quality of life. Breeding penguins is considered difficult. Successes such as the recent birth therefore demonstrate that an ideal habitat has been created for the animals within the artificial penguinarium.

Twelve tonnes of artificial snow fall every day in the building near the entrance to Loro Parque. In addition, sophisticated lighting technology is used to simulate daily cycles and even the Arctic spring.