Endangered Manx-born penguins relocated

The nine chicks were born at Curraghs Wildlife Park

Nine rare penguin chicks have waddled over to two zoos in England, as part of a European breeding programme.

Twenty-six Humbolt penguins have been successfully reared at Curraghs Wildlife Park since 2018.

Three male chicks have been transported to Dudley Zoo, and six females - called Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kris, Kendal and Kylie, after reality TV family, the Kardashians - have been moved to West Midlands Safari Park.

It's hoped the chicks will balance their colonies and further boost breeding efforts. 

Two years ago, 14 chicks were safely relocated to the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry, Northern Ireland.

In the wild, the South American species is classed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with numbers thought to be in decline. 

In recent years, Curraghs has raised more than £2,000 to support Sphenisco, a charity which works to educate people in Chile and Peru so they can help protect the species.

Kathleen Graham, the Park’s General Manager, says: "It’s a great success story. A lot of dedicated work from the team goes in to breeding and caring for our penguin colony and we are very proud of the achievement.

"Not only have we made a significant contribution to the captive back up population of this wonderful penguin species, but also helped to boost the conservation work in the field."

Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, Clare Barber, added: "I am delighted to see the latest tuxedo of Manx penguins safely housed in their new collections in the West Midlands. The team should be very proud of this continued breeding success, and also their fundraising that is helping in the wild."