A wildlife park is celebrating the hatching of the first king penguin chick in the UK since 2014.
The chick weighed 188g (6.6oz) when it hatched and is being hand-reared by keepers at Birdland Park and Gardens in Gloucestershire, who previously had to move the egg to an incubator for safety reasons.
The egg belongs to parents French and Frank, with staff at the zoo saying the chick has already overcome several obstacles to survive – including the heat.
“While everyone else has been talking about how to keep cool this summer, we’ve spent the past few weeks concentrating on one very important little penguin,” said Alistair Keen, head of living collection at the park.
“There’s a long way to go and we won’t be taking anything for granted, but we’re delighted with the progress so far.”
