Birds practice swimming because they are afraid of water

King Charlotte penguins are afraid of water and have to practice swimming.

Penguins are afraid of swimming water

Charlotte penguin was hatched at the Birdland Animal Conservation Park, in Gloucestershire, England. It was taken care of by Alistair Keen, a conservation officer.

Picture 1 of Birds practice swimming because they are afraid of water
Charlotte is a king penguin but afraid of water.It smashed and splashed when it was taken to the swimming pool with the reserve staff.(Photo: BNPS)

Wild penguins often get used to water very quickly because this is the environment that provides their main food source. However, unlike the other penguins of the king penguins who are famous as good dive swimmers, Charlotte has a fear of water . He always tries to avoid the lake in the captive area.

As the animal is increasingly expressing fear, Keen decides to teach him how to swim. He wears a swimsuit, glasses and snorkel to guide Charlotte right in the pool.

"Young penguins often learn to swim by following their parents into the water. Therefore, as Charlotte's" foster father ", I think I have a duty to teach her to swim, " Keen said.

Picture 2 of Birds practice swimming because they are afraid of water
Charlotte tried to beat her wings and fled to learn how to swim.(Photo: BNPS)

According to Keen, when going to the water to learn how to swim, Charlotte not only smashed and splashed but also tried to escape by flying up.

" At first Charlotte was absolutely terrified of going into the water and making a wet coat. I knew penguins could not fly but really Charlotte tried hard not to try to flap her tiny wings to fly ," Keen said.

Thanks to the perseverance of the reluctant teacher, Charlotte gradually overcame the fear of getting used to water and swimming.

According to the Mirror, the Birdland Animal Conservation Park is the only place in the UK that causes king penguin breeding. Charlotte was the first baby to be raised here for 7 years and the first child to be born in 9 years. It was hatched artificially because the penguins previously broke many eggs.

King penguins, called scientific Aptenodytes patagonicus , are the second largest species of penguins. They can reach a height of more than 90 cm, weighing more than 15 kg. The outstanding feature of the king penguin is bright yellow orange streaks at the beak and ears. King penguins mainly eat small fish, squid and often distributed in the islands in the north of Antarctica.