Fish soup six times a day for Living Coasts' abandoned macaroni penguin chick!

An abandoned penguin chick is being fed fish soup six times a day by dedicated zoo keepers.

Staff at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, are caring for the baby macaroni penguin. The chick is fed every 3 hours from 7am to 10 o’clock at night.

The egg was abandoned by penguin parents Corrine and Blue. Living Coasts Head of Operation Clare Rugg explained: “With macaroni penguins, the first egg is usually discarded and rarely hatches, but keepers found this one was fertile.”

The chick hatched on 27 May. It eats fish soup delivered gently through a syringe. Keepers Amy Fitzgerald, Lois Rowell and Lee Mach are sharing the extra work load as they take it in turns to look after the little bird.

It will need to be fed every 3 hours for about a month before moving on to strips of whitebait. It will go outside into a crèche at about two months, though it is important that the youngster gets some English Riviera sunshine when it can.

Are there any tricks to rearing a penguin? Clare says: “Patience, dedication – and not being put off by the smell of fish…!” In addition, the chick has a (by now somewhat soiled) plush toy penguin to cuddle up to.

Living Coasts is home to 25 adult macaronis and - so far this year - 2 chicks, as well as African penguins, fur seals, wading birds and aquarium species.

For more information go to www.livingcoasts.org.uk or ring 0844 474 3366.