Edinburgh Zoo welcomes more cracking new additions to their penguin colony
Posted 4 May 2026
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has released the first images of newly hatched gentoo penguin chicks at Edinburgh Zoo.
Three chicks have hatched since Wednesday 29 April each weighing around 98g at birth, roughly the same as a bar of soap. The wildlife conservation charity’s keepers expect to welcome more youngsters in the coming weeks.
The chicks can now be seen being cared for by their parents at the zoo’s Penguins Rock, Europe’s largest outdoor penguin pool.
Book tickets to Edinburgh Zoo online and save!Notes to Editors
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Hi-res video and images available: https://we.tl/t-Kgev99WXbqrHWauQ
Images and video free to use. Please credit RZSS .
Notes to editors
- Male and female gentoo penguins usually mate with the same partner every year and take it in turns to incubate their eggs over 34 - 37 days
- Visitors can keep up-to-date with the penguins during breeding season by watching their very own live webcam
- Edinburgh Zoo’s Northern rockhoppers began to hatch on Tuesday 14 April and have been weighed by keepers
About the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
- The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision: a world which protects, values and loves nature
- Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are gateways to the natural world through which people can experience nature, learn about the challenges facing wildlife and discover how we harness our expertise in conservation science and animal care alongside the unique power of the RZSS family – our teams, supporters and partners – to save animals from extinction
