Dudley Zoo penguin regains her waddle thanks to baby bouncer

Flop the Humboldt penguin was born at Dudley Zoo back in April but her mother passed away shortly after and her dad started to leave the nest for long periods.

Zookeepers were forced to step in to hand rear the chick and moved her to a juvenile isolation area but noticed she then began developing a limp.

Vets gave her anti-inflammatories and pain relief but less than 24 hours later the animal could no longer support her own weight.

Blood tests revealed a reaction to an infection and she was given further medication.

Flop started to lose her appetite and became withdrawn, sparking concern among staff that she may not survive.

But keepers came with the ingenious idea of a baby bouncer to help keep her upright and also made a tailor-made treadmill by adapting a baby walker for her.

Flop the Humboldt penguin in the baby bouncer (Image: Dudley Zoo and Castle / SWNS)

A Dudley Zoo spokesperson said: "Our bird team were determined she wasn't going to lose the fight and got their thinking caps on.

"Penguins are generally gorge feeders, eating large amounts in small numbers of feeds.

"However, as Flop now couldn't stand, all of her weight was on her front which made consuming and digesting large volumes of fish likely very uncomfortable for her.

"Keepers began giving Flop lots of feeds with smaller quantities, which meant coming back to the zoo around 10pm each evening to give her the final feed of the day.

"They also had to resort to force feeding her to ensure she completed her course of antibiotics and any weight loss was kept to a minimum.

"In a bid to try and take the pressure off her internal organs, which would aid her digestion and get her standing upright, staff came up with the equivalent of a baby bouncer, which they handmade for her.

"Every morning keepers placed Flop into the bouncer to be fed, allowing her feet to just touch the floor.

"They hoped this would get her used to being upright and start to engage her feet and hips, leaving her in it for supervised periods of time, while they fed the rest of the hand-reared youngsters.

"They also constructed a unique 'treadmill' and adapted a baby walker for her, and although they both allowed her to stand in an upright position, to begin with she wouldn't try to walk - not even for the lure of a tasty fish."

Soon she started to use her feet to try to push herself up, but she still couldn't lift her head, instead lifting her hips to slide on her tummy across the floor After consulting with the Toronto Zoo in Canada, which had dealt with a penguin with a similar issue, the keepers were able to provide better care for Flop.

She began gaining weight and was reintroduced to the isolation area in Penguin Bay for short, supervised swims.

Within days, she started lifting her head and standing upright without extra help.

Flop the Humboldt penguin finding her feet (Image: Dudley Zoo and Castle / SWNS)

A zoo spokesperson added: "This made a huge difference to her recovery and within days, she started to lift her head and stumble forward and eventually she began standing upright all by herself.

"The team brought in an animal physiotherapist, giving the bird team a series of exercises they could do with Flop to gradually build her strength.

"And just over a month later, Flop was able to spend her first whole day by herself in the isolation area with the other juveniles, where she currently remains before they all make a gradual return to the main colony.

"She will always be smaller and lighter than the rest of our penguins, and the slight hunch in her back will probably never completely disappear.

"But thanks to her determination and the dedication of our bird keepers, 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."