Bettembourg’s Parc Merveilleux recently celebrated the birth of four penguin chicks. Visitors had the unique opportunity to observe the hatchings live during the animals’ breeding season.
Animal caretaker Lara Steinbrunn told our colleagues from RTL Télé that staff first noticed the penguins spending unusually long periods on their nests before the first chicks appeared.
The park follows a hands-off approach to penguin parenting, letting adults raise their young naturally while standing ready to assist if complications arise.
The penguins’ social structure occasionally leads to conflicts. Steinbrunn described one incident where a couple’s egg was destroyed, triggering jealous behaviour that resulted in physical altercations with bloody wounds. However, she anticipates no integration issues for the new chicks.
Regarding climate suitability, Steinbrunn clarified that the penguins at Parc Merveilleux are not from Antarctica, but from warmer regions, e.g., South Africa, meaning they thrive in Luxembourg’s conditions.
