Penguin chick hatches at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

A “fluffy” bundle of “cuteness” has hatched at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

An African penguin chick hatched April 8 at the zoo in Colorado Springs and is “growing up big and strong,” according to a news release from the zoo.

The now-22-day-old chick is weighed every few days and currently weighs 983 grams—901 grams up from its first weight of 82 grams on April 11.

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According to the zoo, the tiny chick is an “important ambassador” for the African penguins, which were officially “uplisted” to “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List in 2024. The number of wild breeding pairs has fallen below 10,000 and could be extinct in the wild by 2035 if the trend continues, the zoo said.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo guests and members contributed more than $159,675 to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds in support of conservation for African penguins since 2010, the zoo said.

“Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action,” the release read. “Guests visiting CMZoo can see African penguins up close, including this new chick, knowing their visit helps support a future for this species in the wild.”

The zoo suggests guests keep an eye out for the new chick in the penguin building located in Water’s Edge Africa. It’s usually snuggled up in its nest but guests may see it wriggle out, or even hear it peeping, according to the zoo.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo earns No. 2 spot among best zoos in the U.S.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has introduced its newest addition to the zoo family, a penguin chick who hatched on April 8, according to a news release. (Courtesy of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has introduced its newest addition to the zoo family, a penguin chick who hatched on April 8, according to a news release. (Courtesy of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)

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