Follow lives, loves of Akron Zoo's penguins on YouTube's 'The Young and the Flightless'

Eric Marotta, Akron Beacon Journal
·3 min read
Penguins on display at the Akron Zoo.
Penguins on display at the Akron Zoo.

With breeding season in full swing, drama is a fact of life among the close-knit group of Humboldt penguins at the Akron Zoo's Penguin Point. Normally, penguins mate for life, but younger individuals can take some time to settle down.

Those interested in penguin prattle are invited to tune in to the zoo's new series on the short-legged swimmers' affairs, "The Young and the Flightless," available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNZ_3NluZG4.

Episode 1, posted Thursday, features Anchovetta (nicknamed Chovie) who put her longtime friend Huevo in the "friend zone" when he wouldn't make a move.

She moved on and last year had a chick with the other bachelor male in the colony, Pedro.

Vicky Croisant, the zoo’s senior wild animal keeper, explains how Huevo had to be put in solitary confinement for a while since he wanted to break Chovie and Pedro up and could potentially hurt their chick.

A pair of penguins hanging out together at Penguin Point, as pictured in Episode 1 of "The Young and the Flightless."
A pair of penguins hanging out together at Penguin Point, as pictured in Episode 1 of "The Young and the Flightless."

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Croisant said the chick has since "moved off to college" to be weaned and learn how to swim and now Chovy and Huevo are back to being buds, implying things may turn out differently for Huevo this breeding season.

Another bachelor, Rico, will be the subject of future episodes.

The Akron Zoo is home to 18 Humboldt penguins, including the two chicks hatched last year. Since the zoo opened Penguin Point in 2003, 19 chicks have been born.

Humboldt penguins, a warm-climate species, are native to the coasts of Peru and Chile. They are currently vulnerable to extinction due to the harvesting of guano for use as fertilizer. The harvest destroys nesting locations.

Elena Bell, marketing manager for the zoo, said plans are to post new episodes throughout this year's breeding season, which started in November and lasts through May or June.

She said things should get hot fairly soon, despite the weather.

"We have the most activity earlier in the year."

The 18 penguins on display include seven breeding pairs, two unattached males, and the two juveniles hatched last year, a male and female named Ernesto and Xiomara.

The number of new chicks produced each season varies.

"Usually, we could get no eggs, or upward of several eggs. It really just depends on the pairs, their mood and the ways things are going," Bell said, adding last year's pair made for a successful season.

The record is four chicks, which were hatched around 2007.

Not all of the nestlings remain at the zoo, as some will be shipped off as part of its work with other zoos to build genetic diversity in the captive population.

In the meantime, viewers can subscribe to the zoo's YouTube channel to keep an eye out for any "fowl play."

The Akron Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $12, $10 for senior citizens and $9 for children ages 2 to 14. Parking is $3.

For more information, visit akronzoo.org or call 330-375-2550.

Eric Marotta can be reached at 330-541-9433, or emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zoo's penguins in 'The Young and the Flightless" soap opera