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Zoo News
Zoo babies p-p-pick up a penguin
16 July 2010 - New animal births were put to one side today as Edinburgh Zoo celebrated a bumper few years for human births instead. With 18 children born since 2007 to parents who now work at the Zoo, the Zoo’s breeding success with animals seems to have rubbed off on its staff!
Now as part of the Zoo’s campaign to recruit more animal adopters culminating in Adoption Awareness Day at Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday 17 July, these children all aged three years and under have been given an extra special award – a gentoo penguin chick named after each of them.
Today, Friday 16 July, the children came face to face with their feathered friends and met their penguin counterparts. At the same time, they each officially accepted their honorary adoption of a gentoo with the unveiling of a plaque on the enclosure and presentation of an adoption certificate.
Naming of newborns is normally an honour given to the keeper who discovers the offspring, but with 43 gentoo chicks hatched this year, Head Keeper, Roslin Talbot agreed to this special treat: “ The work of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the charity which owns Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, in animal conservation, education and research is dependent on visitors coming to the Zoo, with support through other fundraising initiatives such as the animal adoption programme. For these children, many at toddler age, it seemed really appropriate for the penguin chicks to be named after them – after all both they both waddle in the same way! It’s not something we do everyday but it seemed a nice way to welcome into the world the next generation of animal lovers.”
The penguin chicks ranging from 2 days to 3 months, were named after 11 boys; Alexander, Ben, Lucas, Leon, Elliott, Aiden, Lewis, Brandon, Gregor, Zach and Luca, and seven girls; Izzy, Eva, Katie, Millie, Olivia, Orla and Amber. The children ages range from the youngest at 15 weeks [Zach] to the eldest at three years [Amber].
Tracy Hope, Assistant Development Manager, and mum to 15-month year old Alexander, said: “ Penguins are synonmous with Edinburgh Zoo and kids in particular love them – probably because of their size, comical nature and also the daily penguin parade. But there are many other animals available for adoption. With the bronze level starting at just £40, it makes a great gift at any time of the year and you can be safe in the knowledge that your money goes directly to help the animals.”
On Adoption Awareness Day, Saturday 17 July, kids who complete the specially created superstar trail, which tells them more about the animals below, there is the chance to win an animal adoption.
- - Sir Nils Olav [king penguin]: an Honorary member of the Norwegian Guard and in 2008 received a knighthood from the King of Norway
- - Tina [jaguar]: kept illegally in a circus in Belgium until she was rescued and given to us to care for and has since met her Prince Charming in Mowgli, our black jaguar
- - Captain Beaky [rainbow lorikeet]: is very fond of jewellery and will chew on your earrings if you give him a chance!
- - Samir [Indian rhino]: only 18 months old, he’ll leaves us when he is six to breed but until then visitors get to watch him grow. Literally!
For those taking out a silver level adoption or above, there is also the opportunity to win an experience for two people by joining one our keepers for the day. For more information and to find out about adoption visit our website at www.rzss.org.uk or call 0131 314 0374.
Editors’ Notes
- - For more information on adoption visit www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/support/adoption
- - Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a registered charity, charity no SC004064.
- - The Society was set up in 1909 ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’.
- - Edinburgh Zoo welcomes over 630,000 visitors a year, and is one of Scotland’s top paid visitor attractions.
About the Zoo’s penguins
- - Launched in June last year, the penguin cam is one of the most popular items on Edinburgh Zoo’s website: http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/EZPenguinCam.html
- - It was the arrival of three king penguins from a Christian Salvesen expedition in January 1914, and the subsequent first successful hatching of a king penguin chick in 1919, that made the Zoo ‘ famous all over the world’, for these were the first penguins ever seen outside their South Atlantic homeland. This is why Edinburgh Zoo has a penguin as its logo.
- - The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland donated over £45,000 since 2004 to finance a project protecting penguin nest sites in the Falkland Islands. With more visitors than ever, this penguin-breeding site is under increasing pressure of disturbance.
- - There are three different kinds of penguin at the Zoo. Currently there are 19 rockhoppers, 10 king penguins and 162 adult gentoo penguins. The daily penguin parade (at 2.15pm) is still one of the most popular attractions at the Zoo. The parade began in 1951 when a keeper accidentally left the gate open. The penguins went for a short walk and then returned to their enclosure.
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