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Maryland Zoo Fights To Stay Ahead Of African Penguin Extinction

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A number of penguin experts have flocked to the Maryland Zoo to to talk survival, both in captivity and in the wild.

One expert tells WJZ that if the African penguin population continues to fall, the species could become extinct in 15 years.

"It's very humbling to us that, that we may actually lose this species in our lifetime in the wild," says penguin expert Steve Sarro, of the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Of the millions of them that once thrived in their African habitat, less than 50,000 remain, making them an endangered species.

Unlike the penguins, the reasons aren't black and white.

"Human interaction, fish, fish availability, oil spills, it's a very complex issue why they are declining," Sarro says.

So the experts are trying to figure out how to stop the decline.

"Mainly it's going to be to do with breeding and the future population in captivity and then obviously a little bit of conservation and how we can help in the wild," says Margaret Innes, the assistant general curator of the Maryland Zoo.

"Now there are approximately 800 African Penguins in 50 accredited zoos and aquariums in North America," Sarro says. "Here at the Maryland Zoo over 950 chicks have been hatched alone."

After they hatch, they are place in zoos across the country to help ensure their survival.

"When one species declines, it affects all the other animals and plans in that ecosystem, and that can have devastating effects," according to Sarro.

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