Partnership between Detroit, Cincinnati zoo leads to hatching of king penguin chick
(CBS DETROIT) - Thanks to a collaboration between the Detroit Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo, a king penguin chick hatched at the Detroit Zoo on Aug. 13.
In a news release from the Cincinnati Zoo, officials say that the penguin chick's parents, 27-year-old Larry and 8-year-old Stacy initially laid the egg at the Cincinnati Zoo, 300 miles from its future home in Detroit.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan recommended Detroit as a home for the future chick, and boths zoos started planning the transfer of the chick egg.
Officials say that foster parents waiting for the chick in Detroit, a 21-year-old male and a 7-year-old female, did not producer an egg of their own, so zookeepers gave them a "practice" egg to prepare for parenthood.
Zoo officials say that everything has been going smoothly since the egg hatched.
"It was a perfect situation," said Jessica Jozwiak, bird supervisor at the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS). "We had a pair that was closely bonded but did not produce an egg this year, so we were able to give this egg to them. Everything has worked out wonderfully. They are excellent, attentive parents. We don't know the sex of the chick just yet, but we are all looking forward to watching it grow up. We are already picking out names we can give the chick once we know the sex."
In addition to this, officials from both zoos are happy with the successful outcome of their collaboration.
"This was a very time-sensitive situation that has resulted in the best-case scenario," Gainer said. "We couldn't have made this happen without the professionalism and extensive knowledge of both the Detroit and Cincinnati bird teams."
For more photos of the king penguin chick, visit here.