A premature baby penguin’s life was saved by zookeepers after her mother accidentally stepped on her egg.
The penguin chick was rescued by London Zoo keepers after nearly being crushed. She was placed in incubation with a cuddly toy and a heat lamp.
The premature penguin’s name is Rainbow. She weighed just 73g when she was removed from her shell.
ZSL zookeepers have said that Rainbow was “touch and go” when she was born that she has steadily been putting on weight since and is doing well.
Penguin keeper Suzi Hyde said:
“We knew we had to get her safely out of the shell and into an incubator to give her a fighting chance.
“We were overjoyed when she started begging for food by opening her mouth wide and making tiny squawks. It was the first sign that she might just make it.”
Hyde said that Rainbow spent three weeks “cosying up to a cuddly toy penguin” under a heat lamp while eating a special “penguin milkshake” made of blended fish, vitamins and minerals.
“Rainbow’s bodyweight has steadily increased by around 20 per cent every day, so she’s growing extremely quickly,” she said.
“She’s always eager for her next meal and makes sure we know it’s feeding time – she may be only weeks old but she’s definitely perfected her squawk already.”
Meet Rainbow, our #penguin chick who defied the odds ❤️ Read her story here: https://t.co/vN0DjsVKcq 🐧 #Zoobabies #ZSLSuperheroes #ZSLZoobabies pic.twitter.com/nUsx6QblJP
— London Zoo (@zsllondonzoo) July 19, 2018
Penguins often accidentally stand on their eggs while trying to protect them.
Hyde said that even if the chick survives, this sometimes leads to the parent rejecting the child.
Luckily, Rainbow will make her entrance into the zoo’s “penguin nursery” once she is big enough. She will then learn to swim with other baby penguins before entering the penguin enclosure and pool.
