Prince William and Duchess Kate Adopt Baby Penguin
Prince William And Duchess Kate (née Middleton) are the perfect picture of romance right now. Their wedding went off without a hitch, the frenzy around them has died down, and they've gone back to normal royal lives. But they're already adding a third member to their family; no, Kate's not pregnant (yet!). Yahoo reports that the famous pair has adopted an endangered baby penguin. The cute couple/cute animal combination might cause a cutesplosion; proceed with extreme caution.
The penguin, named Acorn, lives at Chester Zoo with 49 other Humboldt penguins. The Humboldt penguin is classified as "vulnerable," which is in the middle of the scale of endangerment. Wikipedia, the source for things like this, has more information on their status:
"The current status of this penguin is threatened, due to a declining population caused in part by over-fishing, climate change, and ocean acidification. Historically it was the victim of guano over-exploitation. Penguins are also declining in numbers due to habitat destruction. The current population is estimated at between 3,300 and 12,000. In August 2010, the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru, was granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act."
The Humboldt penguin won an online poll that determined which animal Will and Kate would adopt with over 20 percent of the vote. A spokesman for the zoo told Yahoo, "Hopefully the happy couple will come and see little Acorn playing in his pool very soon."
Here's a video of Humboldt penguins chasing a butterfly because it's just too cute not to share:
[Mtanzer]
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