BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Three young African penguin chicks made their debut at the New England Aquarium on Thursday morning.
They were born just two months ago, and have grown to weigh between 6 and 7 pounds each.
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"The Aquarium’s dedicated and talented penguin biologists have raised hundreds of penguins over the years helping to populate many other aquariums and zoos around North America with these immensely popular animals," the aquarium said in a release. "Maintaining a sustainable population is done under the supervision of a closely coordinated Species Survival Plan that insures genetic diversity."
Two of the three are siblings with a somewhat-famous father—that would be Roast Beef, the aquarium's "outreach penguin" who goes around visiting schools as an ambassador for his species.
African penguins are native to South Africa and Namibia. The aquarium said their population has been in decline due to oil pollution, overfishing, and climate change.
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