‘Vulnerable’ penguins named after Wrexham AFC owners take first swim at zoo
Rob and Ryan were named to raise awareness for the ‘vulnerable’ species.
Two Humboldt penguin chicks named after Wrexham AFC’s Hollywood owners have taken their first swimming lessons at a zoo in Cheshire.
Penguin keepers at Chester Zoo, in Upton-by-Chester, named the three-month-old penguins after the owners of “one of their favourite” local football teams in order to raise more awareness for the “iconic” birds.
Among the 18 penguin species on Earth, the Humboldt penguin is “one of the most threatened”.
Native to Chile and Peru, the penguins are classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species due to overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change.
Humboldt penguins use their swimming and diving abilities to hunt for fish, squid, and small crustaceans, Chester Zoo said.
Zoe Sweetman, team manager of penguins and parrots at Chester Zoo, said: “After hatching out of their eggs only a few months ago, these two youngsters have been closely cared for by their parents while snuggled up in their nests.
“Watching as they tentatively make a splash is a real joy and within minutes they did what comes naturally to them, and now they’re zooming through the waters at high speed.”
She added that previously the zoo has named other penguin chicks after brands of “crisps and chocolate bars” to create “much-needed” attention for the species.
“This year, as one of our penguin keepers is a huge fan of the local football team, Wrexham AFC, we decided to do something a little different and name the two new male arrivals after Wrexham’s Hollywood owners.
“They’re both so full of personality and charisma – so it seemed rather fitting; their diving skills are already spot-on.”
She said: “We hope we can help spread some much-needed awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation and inspire more people to take small, daily steps in playing an active role in protecting the future of species like the Humboldt penguin.
“Some very simple things we can all do are using less single-use plastics, eating sustainably caught fish and reducing energy use – even if it’s just a little – that contributes to the warming of the seas.”
