SeaWorld San Diego recently introduced one of its newest residents as animal-care officials celebrated the hatching of a “lesser” flamingo chick. While the species is not endangered, such hatchings are considered rare. SeaWorld is one of only a handful of zoological organizations that has been able to successfully breed lesser flamingos. The park became the first in the world to do so in 1989. The chick, which hatched July 30, is considered significant because there are not enough hatching chicks to sustain the species in zoological institutions worldwide, according to SeaWorld officials. The chick is being hand-raised behind the scenes in the park’s Avian Center, and after only 14 days weighed just under three ounces. It is about the size of an apple, consumes a special formula of flamingo pellet, krill, hardboiled egg, minerals, vitamins and water. It will remain at the Avian Center until it is three months old when it will be introduced to the flock of adult lesser flamingos.