Biggs and Percy welcomed their first chick on October 18, 2025, and they’re doing a great job caring for her! She already weighs about 6 pounds — nearly the size of an adult African penguin. This adorable chick is already making a big impact as an ambassador for African penguins.
In 2024, African penguins were officially uplisted to ‘critically endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with the number of wild breeding pairs falling below 10,000. If current trends continue, these charismatic birds could be extinct in the wild by 2035.
Since 2010, CMZoo guests and members have contributed more than $200,000 to Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) in support of African penguin conservation. In 2020, the Zoo deepened its commitment by joining AZA African Penguin SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction), a collaborative program supported by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action. 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.
Keep an eye (and ear) out for the chick in the penguin building in Water’s Edge: Africa! Although she usually stays cozy in the nest with Biggs and Percy, you might catch her wriggling out or hear her peeps letting her family know it’s snack time.
Stay tuned for updates!
