Spring joy in the Parc Merveilleux Luxembourg: Penguin chicks slips and inspires visitors

Spring brings new life to the Parc mervilleux: Another penguin chicks slipped there last week. This is not an unusual message for the zoo-every year the loyal Humboldt penguin couples provide young people. « Our penguins breed regularly, mostly with the same partners, » explains veterinarian and curator Guy Willems.

The breeding season begins towards the end of March. From then on it takes about a month and a half for the offspring to slip out of the egg. Once the chick is there, mother and father take care of the care together – they feed it alternately and keep it warm until it becomes independent. « The couple breeds in a cave, so the chick is still a little hidden. But visitors who look closely can already observe it, » the vet continued.

However, the Parc Mervilleux is only the first stop in the life of the young animals. « Our capacities are exhausted with 17 adult penguins, » said Willems. As soon as the young birds are large enough, they are relocated to the Belgian Mont Sauvage Zoo near Liège, which can offer the animals a suitable home. « That’s why we have not given the little penguin a name. The colleagues in Belgium do that, » says Willems.