After overwhelming public participation, the emperor penguin chick hatched at SeaWorld San Diego was officially named Pearl on Thursday.
More than 29,000 people voted, with Pearl receiving more than half the votes.
Pearl hatched on Sept. 12, the first chick hatched at SeaWorld San Diego since 2010.
SeaWorld San Diego is the only zoo in the Western Hemisphere where emperor penguins can be seen. Pearl was expected to be ready to join the park's penguin colony in early 2024, at which point she will be visible to the general public.
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Until then, in response to the public interest in her arrival, SeaWorld San Diego has created two new special tickets to enable a limited number of guests to see her now behind the scenes, with 10% of the proceeds going to support penguin conservation around the world.
"We have been amazed by the outpouring of excitement around Pearl's hatching and cannot wait for guests to be able to see her and follow her journey as she matures," said Eric Otjen, Head of Zoological Operations at
SeaWorld San Diego. "This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people given the rarity of the species, so these new limited-time viewings are something extremely special.''
Emperor penguins are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act due to the loss of Antarctic sea ice and rising sea levels caused by climate change.
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SeaWorld San Diego is the only place in the Western Hemisphere caring for captive Emperor penguins. The park has 17 of them in its climate-controlled 25-degree colony, as well as 300 others of other species, including King, Gentoo, Macaroni, Chinstrap and Adélie penguins, as well as nearly 90 puffins and murres.
