Dudley Zoo needs names for hand-reared baby penguins

Keepers had to step in and take over care of the chicks after spotting two outside their next box at only four weeks of age which would have left them vulnerable to the weather, other pensions and the deep pool without intervention.

Another two were taken in after being abandoned by their parents after heavy rain flooded their nest site.

Section leader Nicola Wright said: “The chicks are doing really well. We’ve been feeding them three times a day, first with liquidised fish, replicating how their parents would feed them and then on to bigger chunks.

“They’re all putting on weight and steadily increasing in size and they’ve now almost lost their fluffy grey feathers and are quickly transitioning into waterproofed juveniles!

The baby penguins at Dudley Zoo and Castle which are being hand-reared (Image: Dudley Zoo and Castle)

“We’ve named the two eldest Michael and Jaws, as the one likes doing a moonwalk, while the other is a little snappy, but we need help with names for the younger two siblings, who we nicknamed ‘The Sleepies’ as all they did is sleep or scream at us for food during the first few weeks!”

Staff have now moved the four youngsters into the isolation facilities in Penguin Bay, where they have also been encouraging them to start swimming in the shallow off-show pool.

Nicola added: “During their first few attempts in the water they wouldn’t take their feet off the floor, but we donned our wellies and waded alongside them and they eventually braved it! We then steadily increased the water levels and they’re now happily swimming by themselves, which means they’re almost ready to start being gradually introduced back into Penguin Bay with the rest of the colony so visitors may be able to spot them out and about during the coming weeks.”

Humboldt penguins are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as they are threatened in the wild by pollution, climate change and overfishing.