How Flop the penguin learned to walk
- Published
Keepers at Dudley Zoo have helped a little penguin to learn to waddle again.
Flop the Humboldt penguin hatched in April but lost her ability to stand after an infection and became very poorly.
Zoo staff saved her life by making a special baby bouncer especially designed to keep Flop upright - particularly at feeding time.
Thanks to this, some penguin physiotherapy and a lot of hard work from Flop and friends she has now healed well enough to get back on her feet.
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Keepers even made a penguin treadmill and adapted a baby walker to help her find her waddle again.
It took Flop about a month to build enough strength to rejoin the other young penguins in the colony.
The bird will eventually return to the main colony, although keepers say she will always be smaller than the others.
In a statement, Dudley Zoo said: "Flop, our very special penguin has found her waddle and we can’t wait to watch how she adapts to any challenges that come her way in the future."
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