SAN FRANCISCO—On August 1, the San Francisco Zoo celebrated Magellanic penguin chicks Erin and Steve as they graduated from Fish School and joined the penguin colony.

The chicks, born in mid-May, had to learn how to swim and accept hand feeding before they could move in with the adults. At two-and-a-half months old, the chicks are mature enough to live with the rest of the colony.

To commemorate the official entry of the chicks, zoo officials held a March of the Penguins at 10 a.m. Animal handlers led the chicks on a procession around Penguin Island, to their final destination where they could dive into the water and join the colony.

The San Francisco Zoo has the biggest Magellanic penguin colony of any zoo or aquarium
The San Francisco Zoo has the biggest Magellanic penguin colony of any zoo or aquarium

Several hundred people visited the zoo to observe the proceedings and participate in the festivities. The SF zoo offered face-painting, craft projects and “Sustainable Seafood Games” for families.

The SF Zoo, according to their official website, “maintains the largest and most successful breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in captivity, having fledged approximately 205 chicks since 1985, and participating in a nationally-coordinated Population Management Plan (sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums).”

No precise date has been scheduled for the next March of the Penguins. The public can watch Erin and Steve grow up among their fellow penguins.

The San Francisco Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adult tickets cost $20; senior tickets cost $17; children’s tickets (4-14) cost $14. Children three and under, and Zoo Members receive free admission.