CALGARY – Staff at the Calgary Zoo are celebrating the successful hatching of a penguin chick.
The young gentoo penguin emerged from its egg on Sunday July 7th to the delight of proud parents Giselle and Lachlan.
The bird is the first penguin chick hatched at the zoo since the opening of the Penguin Plunge exhibit in February 2012.
The parents were both single when they were moved to the exhibit in 2012 from SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas – but paired over the past winter.
Giselle and Lachlan are sharing the care of their tiny chick, whose gender isn’t yet known by officials.
The hatching comes as welcome news to the zoo, which has been forced to rebuild after devastating flooding late last month
“This is such a wonderful announcement to be able to make in the face of the current challenges the zoo is dealing with from the flood,” said Dr. Malu Celli, curator for Penguin Plunge. “It shows the resiliency of nature and that life continues in spite of those difficulties.”
The Calgary Zoo will reopen to the public in five stages, starting July 31st.
Officials say the 32 acre site suffered over $50 million worth of damage in the flood.
WATCH: Gentoo chick hatches at the Calgary Zoo
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