African penguin chick hatches at Hyatt Regency Maui

KAHULUI (HawaiiNewsNow) – A tiny new guest is checking in at the Hyatt Regency Maui.

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An African penguin chick hatched at the resort, the first born on property in nearly 17 years.

The Maui Hyatt is dedicated to wildlife conservation as part of a larger global effort to prevent the critically endangered species from going extinct.

The penguin chick, which hatched on April 24, joins seven adult African penguins at the resort.

The newest member of the penguin colony is healthy and thriving, according to the on-property wildlife team.

The resort is an active participant in the Zoological Association of America’s African Penguin Management and Breeding Program, which promotes responsible breeding among certified facilities worldwide.

Hyatt Regency Maui will post updates on their social media accounts.

The chick will make its public debut June 8, on World Ocean Day, during a special event with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony and official name announcement.

The public will be able to vote on the chick’s name on social media, starting Wednesday, May 27.

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The chick’s parents are Phoenix, a three-year-old female, and Kennedy, a two-year-old male, both of whom came to Hyatt Regency Maui from Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia.

Hyatt Regency Maui helped raise money for Richmond Zoo after a fire damaged their animal hospital.

Then, after the 2023 Maui wildfire, the zoo reached out to the resort to try to return the favor, which is how several of the zoo’s African penguins got to Hawaii.

According to the resort, the chick’s mother laid a single egg during the March Kona Low storms.

38 days later, the chick hatched.

Hyatt Regency Maui guests can see the penguin colony during daily presentations, at 9:30 a.m., in their habitat in the Atrium lobby.

African penguins can hold their breath for more than two minutes and dive over 400 feet deep, according to the San Diego Zoo, which also participates in the global effort to increase the endangered species population.

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