Baby penguins are named after NHS heroes
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Meet the penguins named after NHS heroes!
Chester Zoo has recently welcomed five new baby penguins!
Not only are the fluffy birds - which are Humboldt penguin chicks - utterly adorable, but they've each been named after the people and hospitals that have made huge contributions to the NHS throughout history.
This is particularly important during this time as doctors, nurses and medical staff have been working tirelessly to help those who've been affected by the coronavirus.
The penguins have been named to honour NHS heroes
Humboldt penguins facts!
The scientific name for Humboldt penguins is Spheniscus humboldti
Humboldts are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Humboldt penguins are very social and live in large colonies
Humboldt penguins can travel through water at speeds of up to 25mph
The five tiny birds have been named:
Florence, to honour Florence Nightingale.
Thomas, after St Thomas' Hospital in London.
Bevan, after Aneurin Bevan who was the founder of the NHS.
Arrowe, after Arrowe Park Hospital located in Merseyside.
Countess, named after the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, which is also the home of the zoo.
"Each year the team chooses a new naming theme for the chicks and, given everything that is happening around us, we decided to name this year's class after NHS hospitals in acknowledgment of our wonderful NHS Heroes - just as a thank you from everyone here at the zoo," said Anne Morris, lead penguin keeper at Chester Zoo.
The baby penguins will be spending the first two months of life in their nests while they grow and get stronger.
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