The first Cape penguin chicks to be bred at Fota Wildlife Park are revealed.
Sean McKeown manager of Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, shows the first two Cape penguin chicks to be bred at Fota. The chicks hatched on 12 and 14 October 1985. The parents of the chicks came to Fota from the Amsterdam Zoo in 1984.
Sean McKeown explains that in the wild parents can only rear one youngster and the second young bird would die basically because the mother could not bring enough food for both. In captivity, food is supplied continuously, so both chicks can be reared. The chicks are fed on sprat, small fish. Both parents are involved in raising the young taking turns with the feeding and sitting on the chicks to keep them warm.
Cape penguins are an endangered species and are native to islands off the coast of South Africa.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 24 October 1985.
