SeaWorld San Diego is celebrating the first birth of an Emperor penguin chick in 13 years.
The baby bird hatched Sept. 12, according to its caretakers.
Births in captivity of the flightless bird, which is threatened by the loss of Antarctic sea ice and rising sea levels, are super rare.
“Bringing this chick into the world and ensuring her well-being and survival around the clock has been a very rewarding process for me and the entire SeaWorld Aviculture team,” said Justin Brackett, curator of birds at SeaWorld San Diego.
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Veterinarians say the chick is healthy and getting lots of care and attention.
"Emperor penguin eggs take 65 to 72 days to hatch," Brackett said in a video news release that accompanied the birth announcement. "In this specific case, the parents chose not to incubate it."
Which is to say: The egg wasn't being warmed by its parents, so in the incubator it went for weeks and weeks.
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The challenges for the chick weren't over yet, though. When it came time to meet its adoring public, she made a move to break out but then … stalled.
"For our chick, it broke through the initial membrane," Brackett said, "but it was never able to get through the shell."
After several days of patiently waiting for progress, the aviculturists decided to help.
"We were able to successfully hatch the chick," Brackett said.
SeaWorld San Diego is the only place in the Western Hemisphere caring for captive Emperor penguins. The park has 17 of them in its climate-controlled 25-degree colony, as well as 300 others of other species, including King, Gentoo, Macaroni, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins, as well as nearly 90 puffins and murres.
