Overview
- The zoo says eight chicks hatched this season, with a fruits-and-vegetables naming theme that begins with Kiwi and Cayenne.
- Maryland Zoo maintains the largest African penguin colony in North America and has hatched more than 1,000 chicks since 1967.
- Breeding runs from mid-September through February at the zoo, mirroring spring–summer timing in South Africa and Namibia.
- The African Penguin Species Survival Plan guides pairings and transfers, including a recent female arrival from Monterey Bay and placements that have bolstered colonies in 35 U.S. states and Canada.
- Zoo leaders cite a roughly 90% wild decline and warn the species could vanish within a decade without action, with overfishing and habitat loss identified as key threats.