MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)

Inside a one-degree habitat at SeaWorld Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, a new generation of penguins is beginning to waddle into view. 

Ten chicks have hatched this season, marking the second consecutive year of successful breeding since the Antarctica habitat opened.

This brings the total number of penguins hatched in Abu Dhabi to 30 over two breeding seasons, according to Robert Yordi, General Curator at SeaWorld Yas Island. 

Three additional eggs laid by king penguins are still incubating and are expected to hatch in the coming weeks.

“We’re slowly growing this population,” Yordi told Aletihad on Monday during a tour of the Antarctica habitat, kept at around one degree Celsius. 

“Right now, we have 227 penguins in the habitat, which can ultimately hold up to 500…But you never want to fill a habitat all at once; you want populations to grow naturally.”

The newest chicks, including gentoo and macaroni penguins, are about six to eight weeks old.

The current breeding numbers reflect the relative youth of the colony. 

The habitat only recorded its first-ever hatchings last year, after penguins were brought from three different SeaWorld parks in the United States.

“They had to get to know each other, go through courtship, and establish nesting territories,” Yordi said. “That takes time. Penguins don’t reach breeding age until they’re around four years old, so you’ll see growth rates increase gradually over the next five to ten years.”

The chicks spend their first few weeks in temperature-controlled brooder rooms, before being gradually introduced to the Antarctica habitat.

For the first three to four months, they remain on land in groups known as crèches, insulated by soft down feathers that keep them warm but are not yet waterproof. 

Once those feathers are replaced with adult plumage, the young penguins will enter the water for the first time.

Yordi said the park’s aviculture team adjusted nesting areas this year after observing where penguins naturally preferred to settle during the first breeding season.

“We fortunately have been raising penguin chicks for decades, so we know what to expect but the birds teach us every year,” he said. “They show us what works and what doesn’t, and we adapt.”

The habitat operates on a southern hemisphere seasonal cycle, meaning the penguins are now approaching autumn as the breeding season comes to an end. 

With egg-laying complete, adult birds will soon enter their molting phase before transitioning into winter conditions, when daylight hours are reduced. 

Yordi noted that the Antarctica habitat is equipped with carefully controlled full-spectrum UVB and UVA lighting to ensure penguins receive essential nutrients, while also regulating natural behaviours. 

Connecting Abu Dhabi to Global Conservation 

Penguin Awareness Day, observed on January 20, draws attention to declining wild populations, driven largely by human activity. 

According to the IUCN Red List, more than half of the world’s 18 penguin species are considered threatened or near threatened. 

Yordi noted that one of the most pressing threats facing penguins globally is food scarcity.

“Overfishing in areas where penguins live has a massive impact,” he explained. “If parents have to travel too far to find food, chicks can be compromised or may not survive.”

Climate change also plays a complex role, he added, altering sea ice patterns and ecosystems in ways that benefit some species while harming others.

Among the most vulnerable penguins are Galapagos and Humboldt penguins, as well as South African penguins, which are now considered critically endangered due to declining fish stocks and pollution from shipping.

While penguins are native to the southern hemisphere, Yordi said research and education efforts in Abu Dhabi still play a role in their protection.

“Researchers in the wild may only see their penguins once or twice a year,” he said. “We see ours every single day. That allows us to track seasonal changes, behaviour and development, and share that information with scientists and other zoological institutions worldwide.”

Equally important, he said, is public awareness.

“One of the biggest things people should be aware of is their impact on the ocean. It’s all connected; something that happens here can move through ocean currents and eventually affect wildlife in Antarctica,” Yordi said. 

“If guests leave knowing that it’s important not to throw trash in the ocean, then we’ve done our job.”

By placing penguins in front of audiences far from their natural habitat, educators at SeaWorld Yas Island hope to show that protecting species at the planet’s edges begins with everyday choices closer to home.