14 DAY TRIAL // NaturZoo Rheine in Germany is a bit crowded these days, and odds are it will get even more crowded sooner than one might expect.
Thus, Zoo Borns informs that ten Humboldt penguin breeding pairs living in captivity at this facility have until now laid eggs, and that eight baby penguins have even hatched.
The bad news is that the Humboldt penguin mommies and daddies do not like to show their offspring to the world. Unlike other somewhat annoying parents, some might want to add.
Hence the fact that the chicks are still hidden inside their nests, and visitors to NaturZoo Rheine will have to wait a while before they finally get the chance to see them.
Staff at NaturZoo Rheine in Germany explain that, although they have been looking after Humboldt penguins for about four decades, they have never had this many chicks on their hands at the same time.
It is possible that the colony at this facility laid this many eggs and hatched this many chicks due to the fact that this past winter was fairly mild in Germany.
Conservationists tell us that, for the time being, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers Humboldt penguins to be a vulnerable species.
These penguins risk going extinct as a result of over-fishing, ocean acidification, climate change, and loss of natural habitat.