Colorado penguin parents adopt another zoo's chick

[April 20, 2010]  DENVER (AP) -- African penguins have adopted a chick that had trouble hatching, then wasn't being cared for by its biological parents at another Colorado zoo.

Officials at the Denver Zoo, the chick's new home, say it's doing well.

The baby African penguin emerged from its shell at the Pueblo Zoo on March 20, but it was four days overdue and needed help from a staff worker to get out.

When the biological parents appeared unable to care for the hatchling, it was taken to Denver and placed with surrogate parents, who immediately began to feed it and keep it warm.

African penguins once came close to extinction and are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

[Associated Press]

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