Lonesome Penguin Cheered Up By New Friend
15/11/2008 01:24
Mates: Pingu the
penguin chick at the Living Coasts zoo in
Torquay who has found solace with a stuffed
toyA baby penguin which had to be separated from its family after a greedy sibling continually ate all its food has found companionship - with this stuffed toy.
The penguin - called Pingu - began to lose weight and appeared weak after its bigger relative regularly helped himself to all the fish on offer.
Concerned keepers were forced to remove Pingu from the enclosure, but at just three-weeks-old the penguin was in desperate need of company.
Staff bought a £3.99 toy penguin from the zoo shop which acts as a surrogate sibling to the chuffed chick - who cuddles up to its new friend all day.
Pingu - an African penguin whose sex has yet to be determined - was born with its sibling at the Living Coasts attraction in Torquay, Devon.
Senior head keeper Tony Durkin said: 'At first it seemed everything was going well but then we noticed one sibling was growing more quickly than the other.
'You do get size differences in the wild but it only becomes a problem if the difference gets too great.
Details here.
SINC SAYS:
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