The Sedgwick County Zoo welcomes two new additions.
Two baby Humboldt penguins hatched about three weeks ago. They now weigh about two-and-a-half pounds.
While both eggs were laid by the same parents, they were split between two parent pairs. Zoo officials say that will increase the chances that the chicks will be raised without any problems.
If you go to the zoo, you may have a hard time seeing the chicks, however. That's because the chicks are staying inside their next enclosures and being watched closely by protective parents.
"Right now all they have are downy feathers," says bird keeper Ann Knutson, "it gives them a little bit of warmth, but when it comes to the water it doesn't help at all; in fact, it would drag them down more."
The chicks likely won't venture far from their nests for another two or three months. In the meantime, the zoo is expecting two more eggs to hatch April 24th. That will conincide with National Penguin Day at the zoo.
