Oh, Baby! Rosamond Gifford Zoo Welcomes Penguin Chick, Cuatro
It's been a busy quarantine for zookeepers at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Not only did they welcome a baby snow leopard on May 18, but they also welcomed a baby Humboldt penguin on May 22.
The zoo announced the chick's arrival Tuesday morning after its health check-up and visit with Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon. Keepers have not yet determined if the chick, who McMahon named Cuatro, is a boy or a girl, but it weighed in at 4.6 pounds at just one month old!
Cuatro will not be on exhibit with the other penguins for another six weeks or so, until it is weaned and learns how to swim. This was the 55th Humboldt penguin since 2006 to hatch at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, helping add important numbers to the threatened species, which is native to just off the coast of South America.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has been back open to the public since last month, when it starting allowing visitors with added measures like reservations, limited daily capacities, temperature checks, and one-way foot traffic.
A female snow leopard cub was born at the zoo last month, just days before Cuatro hatched. The zoo is currently holding a vote for the cub's name, with five New York-related names (Olive, Riga, Clove, Garnet and Marcy) in the running. As of Saturday, Olive was leading the vote, but there's still time to help pick the cub's name!