New penguins join the flock at the Primorsky Aquarium.
Eight Humboldt penguins have passed the quarantine phase and moved to the “Polar World” exhibit of the Primorsky Aquarium. Now the birds are acclimating to their new home that provides them with the conditions as similar as possible to those in the wild. They got acquainted with the old residents, as the phrase goes, “in a friendly atmosphere”: the birds readily mingled with each other and formed a joint flock.
“The penguins are doing well; the newcomers repeat the behavior of the “old-timers” and quickly get adapted to the new environment. They almost immediately began to come out of the pool, and on the second day after their removal the birds started feeding on land,” said Ksenia Liubimkina, an ornithologist of the Primorsky Aquarium.
Each penguin consumes 900 grams of fish a day; their balanced diet consists of equal amounts of smelt and capelin. The birds have 3 meals - light breakfast, dinner and substantial supper - supplemented with a special vitamin complex to support their immune system.
The Aquarium’s ornithologists are well aware of each bird’s habits and behaviours; they can easily tell the penguins apart and are very careful to ensure that each individual eats the required portion of food at mealtimes.
Now the exhibit is a home for 14 penguins - 7 males and 7 females. Humboldt penguins are social birds, and the increase in the group size is beneficial for both old residents and newcomers. Nearly all the birds have moulted and “put on” an adult plumage, with only three of them still having a juvenile colouration. But, though young, they are larger than most members of their flock.
