Move over, Countess LuAnn and Ramona: The Central Park Zoo is hand-rearing eight adorable chinstrap and gentoo penguin chicks, and the babies' progress will be updated at the zoo blog: The Real Chicks of Central Park.
Senior penguin keeper Juan Romero blogged, "Turns out raising a penguin chick is a lot like raising a human baby. In the beginning, the chicks spend all their time eating, sleeping, and pooping. Meanwhile, the keepers slave over them to keep them warm enough, well fed, and happy! But hey, nobody ever said parenthood was easy," and offered this video:
The Wildlife Conservation Society's director of city zoos, Jeff Sailers, says, "We wanted to show people what goes into hand rearing the penguin chicks from day one and share the growth process. These new additions to the penguin colony are a success in animal husbandry and reflect the bird expertise we have at the Central Park Zoo." The WCS says the blog will include "photos (chick pics), videos (chick flicks), and keeper interviews (chick lit) and updated continually for three weeks." Also, "Visitors can meet the chicks and their keepers, watch them grow, and see the painstaking care that goes into raising them."
And if you donate $10 to the care of the penguin chicks, you can get a "chick magnet." There are also penguins for viewing at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.
