Latest news with #TimSavage
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Meet Noisy, an endangered rockhopper penguin chick
Meet Noisy. He's a two-week-old northern rockhopper penguin chick who is currently receiving around the clock care from keepers at Whipsnade care includes being hand fed a yummy "milkshake" made of blended fish and being kept warm in his own cosy nesting box. Noisy is part of the breeding program at the zoo that is helping to address declining numbers of rockhopper penguins. What is a rockhopper penguin? Rockhopper penguins are one of the world's smallest penguins and generally only reach around 50cm tall. However, for a small bird they have big well as loud cries, the penguins can be spotted by there distinctive yellow eyebrows and red eyes. As they live in rocky habitats, rockhoppers don't slide on their bellies to get around. Instead, they hop... It's in the name! However, the number of rockhopper penguins in the wild is declining. Whipsnade Zoo's section manager of birds, Tim Savage, said "wild populations have sadly declined by more than 57% in the last 27 years". This is why it is so important for the zoo to help breed and care for penguins like Noisy. Tim added: "We are one of only seven zoos in Europe to care for this rare subspecies, so we're monitoring our tiny hatchling around the clock to give it the best chance possible."
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Whipsnade Zoo hand rears endangered rockhopper penguin chick
Zoo keepers have hand-reared an endangered penguin chick after it hatched as part of a breeding northern rockhopper penguin was named Noisy by Whipsnade Zoo staff as he constantly chirps whenever they are to the low survival rate of previous eggs, the keepers placed it in an incubator and left the parents with a dummy egg so the colony could continue to practice Zoo's section manager of birds, Tim Savage, said contributing to the European breeding programme was "vital" He explained: "As wild populations have sadly declined by more than 57% in the last 27 years, contributing to the European breeding programme to create a healthy and genetically diverse backup population in conservation zoos is vital."We are one of only seven zoos in Europe to care for this rare subspecies, so we're monitoring our tiny hatchling around the clock to give it the best chance possible."Keepers feed noisy a "milkshake" made of blended sprats, vitamins and saline solution that replicates the regurgitated food produced by its parents. As adults, the birds have distinctive spiky yellow eyebrows and black feathers framing their are native to the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, but travel as far north as South Africa and South there are no visual differences between males and females, the chick's sex will be identified by a DNA analysis when it is two months old. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
