The public can waddle on down to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo to see the zoo's newest Humboldt penguin show off her swimming skills.
On April 4, Percy, a female Humboldt penguin, hatched to parents Sharkbait and John Henry. She is the second penguin ever hatched in the zoo following Pebbles in May 2021.
Zoo visitors will now be able to see Percy daily at the Penguin Pool and during the Eat That Fish animal encounter. Currently, the animal encounter is daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
At Percy’s 2-month health check, she was in her first molting process, where her baby feathers shed and adult, waterproof feathers take their place. On Wednesday, Percy weighed 2.85 kilograms.
Earlier this week, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo shared a video on social media of Percy learning how to swim with her waterproof feathers. Ruth Marcec-Greaves, the general curator of the zoo, said Percy’s first experience was in 8-inch-deep water in the behind-the-scenes pool.
“We started slowly by placing her at the edge of the ramp that led into the water, and we could hardly hold her back. She immediately ran into the pool and was swimming in no time. She was even trying to push herself deeper under the water,†Marcec-Greaves said. “Because she took to swimming so fast, the keepers filled the pool up in its entirety later that day.â€
Humboldt penguins can swim up to 17 miles per hour and eat 2 pounds of fish per day at the zoo. Each year, all of the penguins undergo the molting process where they lose and replace their feathers.
The penguins face a high risk of extinction in the wild, as they are listed as vulnerable on the International Union Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.
The Lincoln Children's Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with late hours until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. The zoo will close at 3 p.m. on July 4.
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The Lincoln Children's Zoo's newest Penguin chick, Percy, took her first swim earlier this week. The Humboldt chick is now available for the public to see.
The Lincoln Children's Zoo's newest Penguin chick, Percy, took her first swim earlier this week. The Humboldt chick is now available for the public to see.