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Sidney, Pittsburgh Aviary's New Penguin, Named For Crosby

POSTED: 4:37 pm EDT May 26, 2008
UPDATED: 7:53 pm EDT May 26, 2008

While Pittsburgh's hockey Penguins chase the Stanley Cup in Detroit, a young counterpart is waiting for them to bring it home so he can swim in it.

Sidney the penguin, named after team captain Sidney Crosby, hatched at the National Aviary on the city's North Side in February.

"He can eat up to a pound of fish a day by himself," said Erin Estell, manager of animal programs at the aviary. "He only weighs about five pounds. In the wild, that is like a fifth of their body weight that they are eating."

That's like a person eating 80 double cheeseburgers a day. But penguins need that much food for energy.

"He can swim up to 35 mph," said Estell.

"I think that is faster than Sidney (Crosby) can skate," said WTAE Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin, who visited the aviary on Monday.

Sidney is an African penguin, native to the west coast of South Africa.

The little guy's hockey namesake will probably visit the aviary after the playoffs end.

"He actually has contacted us and he would like to meet his penguin," Estell said. "He has been a little busy, you know?"


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