According to WBNS-TV, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium took to social media last week to announce the birth of a baby Humboldt penguin, which hatched March 20.
“Since hatching, the penguin chick has been growing FAST!” the zoo wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. “Due to the unique situation of bringing all of the birds in our care indoors during the presence of avian influenza, our animal care team is hand-raising the penguin chick and will slowly introduce it to the penguin colony.”
The zoo said a blood sample collected from the unnamed chick earlier this month will allow staffers to determine whether the baby is male or female.
“Our animal nutrition specialists are providing the best fish-based formula for the penguin chick, who is now transitioning to a small fish diet. (The chick has excellent vocal abilities to let the keepers know when it is hungry!),” the zoo added. “The penguin chick is also developing strong muscles to sit up tall and walk around more. Send the penguin chick your warmest wishes, and stay tuned for future updates!”
The announcement came just days ahead of World Penguin Day, held annually on April 25. The Global Penguin Society previously described the occasion as “a date to raise awareness about the importance of protecting all penguin species in the world.”
Several zoos, wildlife organizations, companies and animal lovers celebrated the “holiday” by sharing facts and photos of the aquatic birds with the hashtag #WorldPenguinDay. Here are some of those posts:
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day In this Jan. 22, 2015 photo, a Gentoo penguin feeds its baby at Station Bernardo O'Higgins in Antarctica. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day An African penguin bites onto a heart shaped valentine handed out by biologist II Amy Walters at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day A penguin dives in a pool in the Opel zoo in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday, April 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day A penguin dives in the zoo in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day The first Humboldt penguin born in the Philippines, named Kaya, stands next to a three-tiered frozen fish cake placed in the penguin habitat at Manila Ocean Park to celebrate its first birthday Wednesday, July 29, 2015, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day King penguins stand in an enclosure at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day A Humboldt penguin swims in a pool during the annual stock take at ZSL London Zoo in London on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day Humboldt Penguins are led to the weighing scales with a feed of anchovies to encourage them at London Zoo in London on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day A penguin swims in an enclosure housing Gentoo and chinstrap penguins at Inbursa Aquarium in Mexico City on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Photos: 10 adorable penguin pics in honor of World Penguin Day Stock photo of a juvenile Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) making a plaintive call. (Picasa/Getty Images)