Penguin chicks to make their home in Hull

THEY were born in Texas, thousands of miles from their chilly natural habitat.

But these three cute penguin chicks will soon be heading for a home with a climate much closer to the Antarctica sea.

The trio of Gentoo penguins will be making their home in Hull next year when they become the first occupiers of The Deep's new purpose-built penguin enclosure.

The chicks, about six weeks old, made their first public appearance yesterday in a video filmed at the Moody Gardens zoo in Galveston, Texas.

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The Deep has an agreement with Moody Gardens to take the chicks in about a year when they will be moved to their new home on the bank of the Humber.

Colin Brown, chief executive at The Deep said: "This is a fantastic early Christmas present for us, which has really put us in the festive spirit.

"We are delighted to see them looking so well and I'm sure everyone will agree they are mighty cute and will be a fantastic addition to The Deep.

"They won't be coming over to the UK until they are much bigger, but work on their enclosure is already under way here and we are excited to meet them later in 2013."

Experts say because they were born at Moody Gardens instead of in the wild, they will be comfortable with their new surroundings at the Deep.

The award-winning submarium is renowned for its welfare and veterinary care.

In the wild, Gentoo penguins are commonly found in the Falkland Islands.

Adult Gentoos can reach a height of 3ft, making them the largest species of penguin after Emperor and King penguins.

They are also the fastest swimming penguin species with a top speed of 22mph.

Gentoos were the stars of the recent movie Mr Popper's Penguins with Jim Carrey.

The chicks' new home will be a £500,000 enclosure at The Deep's Kingdom Of Ice.

The investment is the largest since The Deep opened in 2002 and staff are confident the penguins will be a huge draw for visitors and tourists.

But the submarium will also get the opportunity to study the penguins at close quarters to help with research.

Gentoo numbers are increasing on the Antarctic but have plummeted in some of their island enclaves, possibly due to pollution or disrupted fisheries.

They are protected by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and received "near threatened" status in 2007.