Baby African penguin released from Denver Zoo’s intensive care unit after 2 months

The Denver Zoo’s African penguin flock is just a little fluffier this week after a newborn chick was released from the intensive care unit, the zoo said.

The chick was born on October 15 to breeding pair Guja and Keni, but had a severe respiratory illness that required round-the-clock care, according to a statement from the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

For the first two months of its life, the as-yet-unnamed chick was hand-raised by animal care and animal health experts in the zoo’s Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital’s Small Animal Intensive Care Unit, the zoo said.

Zoo officials said the chick’s recovery was “nothing short of remarkable.”

“Now a thriving young lady, this fluffball graduated from the ICU and is back behind the scenes at Pinnacol African Penguin Point,” zoo officials said on social media. “It grows well, eats fish and displays a calm, curious personality.”

It will still be a few weeks before the chick is ready to be officially introduced to the rest of the flock and venture into the outdoor habitat, zoo officials said.