The Aquarium of Niagara has another new Humboldt penguin chick in its colony, but this one has a more personal connection with one local teenage boy.
Carson Shanahan, a 14-year-old cancer patient from West Seneca, was given the chance to name the new chick. The aquarium announced this past Friday it would be named Nosrac, which is Carson spelled backward.
“From what I’ve heard, the penguin had a tough time and had to be strong,” said Shanahan in a video the aquarium put out on Friday announcing the new chic. “It kind of reminded me of my story.”
Shanahan has suffered from Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, since he was 12, first being diagnosed in March 2024. The treatments he has since received include chemotherapy at Roswell Park.
His family started a website and cause, Carson’s Army, to share updates and links for donations, even collaborating with 26 Shirts to have a percentage of proceeds from its “Experiment 716” shirt benefit them. During the treatment process, Shanahan found comfort in penguins.
When Nosrac was still inside the egg, its first-time parents Iggy and Gannon crushed the shell during incubation. This gives the chick a much lower chance of survival either from it not fully developing or being unable to break out of the shell.
The egg membrane was still intact, so the zoological team moved the egg to a brooder to heat it until ready to hatch. The new chick was successfully hatched on April 7 with assistance from the aquarium’s veterinarian and penguin keeper.
The aquarium already announced one new penguin chick earlier this year, one they decided to hold a naming contest for. The public chose the name Cantuta, the national flower of Peru, in May.
The aquarium allowed the Shanahan family to meet the new chick and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities, learning what goes into caring for their penguins. It was then they told Carson he could give the chick its name.
Once Nosrac is on display with all the other penguins, it will wear a yellow band signifying its connection to Shanahan and for raising awareness for pediatric cancer and research.
There is a GoFundMe for supporting the Shanahan family as Carson continues to get treatment. As of June 24, it has raised $33,359 of its planned $50,000 goal.