AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Zoo is welcoming a new member to its family.
On March 3, a Humboldt penguin chick hatched at the zoo located in Summit County.
The baby penguin chick was named Tercera, which means "third" in Spanish since she hatched on the third day of the third month and is the third chick the Akron Zoo has fostered.
The chick came to the Akron Zoo as an egg after the Humboldt Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP) decided to send it from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
"Humboldt penguins are found in their home range on the coasts of Peru and Chile and are currently vulnerable to extinction. The decline in penguin numbers is due to the harvesting of guano by local farmers for use in agricultural fertilizer, which destroys penguin nesting locations," said Akron Zoo in a press release.
Now, Tercera is being fostered by penguins Pez and Gabriella, who, according to the Akron Zoo, have a successful track record with raising chicks in the past. The pair’s last chick is Ernie, who hatched in 2021.
Currently, Tercera is being raised off-habitat with her foster parents. After she can eat on her own, loses her down feathers and passes a swim test, she will join the penguin habitat at the zoo.
The Akron Zoo currently has 16 penguins and this is the 20th penguin chick to hatch since the zoo opened Penguin Point in 2003.
More information on the Akron Zoo can be found HERE. Admission rates range from $9 to $19.
