The people have spoken. The Milwaukee County Zoo’s newish penguin chick has been named Roo — or Rhubarb, if you want to be formal about it.
The zoo hosted a vote online to name the Humboldt penguin chick. She was hatched on March 14, Pi Day, so the zoo offered three choices: Cherry, Peach and Rhubarb (Roo). In a July 21 blog post, the zoo reported that 75% of voters were Team Roo.
Roo’s parents are Lilly and Mariano.
She had a rough start to life, according to a post on the zoo’s blog:
“The chick developed pneumonia not long after being born and required extensive treatment to keep her alive. She received nebulizer treatments three times a day for over a month along with antibiotic injections, tube feeding, and eventually assisted feedings from animal care staff.”
Treatments and care administered by zookeepers and veterinary staff were successful, the zoo reported.
The chick fledged on June 4, meaning she was able to go into water independently without her parents’ help. She has also learned to eat fish on her own.
Roo and her parents can be seen in the Penguins of the Pacific habitat.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The votes have been counted. Milwaukee County Zoo’s penguin chick now has a name
Reporting by Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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