Adorable new footage showing rare baby penguin chicks at Edinburgh Zoo has been released by wildlife experts in the capital.
A video taken from the Royal Zoological Society Scotland’s (RZSS) live webcam of the tiny endangered rockhopper chick huddling underneath its mother was released on Wednesday.
The chicks are the first of this year’s crop to be born at the zoo, but workers expect there to be more in the coming weeks.
Staff said 14 they counted 14 eggs in the colony, with four chicks hatching so far.
The zoo remains closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the RZSS has continued operating live webcams for animal fans to get up close and personal with their favourite creatures during lockdown.
Dawn Nicoll, senior penguin keeper, said, “Northern rockhopper penguins are an endangered species so it is really exciting to welcome new chicks to the colony. The first 30 days are critical for their development, so we’ll keeping a close eye on them at this sensitive time.
“We counted 14 eggs in total and four chicks have hatched so far, so fingers crossed there’ll be more good news to come. Last year we welcomed four youngsters which was the most successful breeding season we’ve had for the species at the zoo for many years.
"It has been amazing to see how many people have tuned into the webcams so far and fantastic for them to be able to see the chicks as they grow, even if they can’t yet visit in person.
“Being closed means we have no visitor income and it costs £55,000 to feed our animals each month. People can help look after our newly hatched penguins and protect their cousins in the wild by donating on our website.”
