Four penguins hatch at Joburg zoo

Four African penguins have hatched at the Johannesburg Zoo and are being raised by staff, it said on Tuesday.

"The reason for removing the chicks from the enclosure is to allow staff to teach each bird to be fed by hand and to become more used to humans for this purpose," said the zoo's communications officer Angeliné Schwan.

One chick hatched in June and the other three in July, she said. Their genders were still unknown.

The zoo is home to 31 African penguins.

Penguins are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red data list.