First gentoo penguin chicks born
Edinburgh Zoo has announced the birth of two gentoo penguin chicks - the first chicks ever to be born in the new enclosure, Penguins Rock.
The chicks have not yet been named, and are the first ever to be delivered by the new mother, although the father has parented before.
According to an update from the zoo on the afternoon of May 14, a third chick was emerging from the egg and is expected to hatch fully by May 15. A further 44 eggs are still to hatch at the zoo.
In the wild, the gentoo penguin population is growing in the Antarctic Peninsula but has seen a rapid decline in some island territories.
This decline is thought to be due to pollution or disturbed fisheries. The species is protected under the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and listed on the International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as "near threatened".
Image: Gentoo penguin chick, Edinburgh Zoo
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