THE Welsh Mountain Zoo is celebrating the arrival of three Humboldt Penguin chicks.

Ketchup and Mustard have been hatched to parents Anchovy and Gravy, some two days apart, whilst Custard hatched a few days later to parents Yoshi and Pudding.

Chicks typically fledge 70 to 90 days after hatching and have now been spotted out and about in the big pool.

The sex of the adorable chicks remains unknow and will be DNA tested when they develop their juvenile feathers.

Tom Wootton, of the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay, said: “We are delighted with the arrival of our three chicks. Humboldt penguins are currently listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN red list, so although these chicks will never be released, we sustainably breed to maintain genetic diversity in captivity, so one day hopefully future generations of these penguins can be released.

North Wales Pioneer: Two baby penguins take to water at the zoo Two baby penguins take to water at the zoo (Image: Welsh Mountain Zoo)

RELATED STORIES

“At the moment, Avian flu, overfishing, plastic pollution and global warming along with El Nino – are still sadly reducing the population numbers of Humboldt Penguins in the wild and so breeding in captivity remains vital.”

The attraction owns a rich history in breeding this species and has seen 130 chicks hatched at the zoo since 1995.

Eggs are incubated for 40 days by the parents and they can hatch in one day or take up to four days, weighing only 50g. Before they fledge, they loose their fluffy feathers and grow waterproof grey versions of the adults and are normally larger than their parents so they have extra weight to lose while they learn to fish.