Calgary Zoo names baby penguin ‘Alfred’

The Calgary Zoo has announced the name of its youngest penguin chick Friday, on Twitter, and it’s “Alfred.”

“The youngest prince in the waddle has a new moniker fit for a king (penguin)! It’s our great honour to introduce you to his royal highness, ‘Alfred’,” said the zoo in a tweet.

Hear ye, hear ye! On this #PenguinAwarenessDay, we have a most important announcement to make. The youngest prince in the waddle has a new moniker fit for a king (penguin)! It’s our great honour to introduce you to his royal highness, ‘Alfred’. ???????? (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0CGIyRjRFo

— Calgary Zoo (@calgaryzoo) January 20, 2023

Alfred’s color and down stand out in the crowd.

“The young prince is easily identified within the waddle by his “cloak” of thick brown down, which stands out against the black and white “tuxedos” of his loyal entourage,” the zoo tweeted.

Alfred is among the Fourteen king penguins that are participating in the daily march that started on Jan. 13 and will last until mid-march.

He didn’t have a name when the march kicked off, but was ahead of the game.

“Sometimes they take a little bit more time than the adults, just because…it’s brand new to them,” said Patrick Thompson, animal care manager for Canadian Wilds and Penguins at the Calgary Zoo. “So this chick has just started coming outside exploring the outside yard…It is kind of a brand new thing for it.”

The 15-minute walk gives these king penguins the opportunity to experience wildlife, as the species would normally walk until they find open water if they were in the wild.

“It’s a great way for us to get them exercise, try and stimulate them a little more, get them something new to do. It’s kind of a great seasonal enrichment for them to get them out, get them moving…get them motivated,” said Thompson.

The zoo says on its website king penguins may be threatened by extinction

“King Penguins are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) which is an organized network that matches individuals of a species to ensure genetic diversity within the population and safeguards against the extinction of the species,” said the zoo. “Currently, king penguins face many threats in the wild such as a warming of the seas and habitat loss.”