Rare albino penguin makes debut at zoo

Worldwide unique African Penguin in Gdansk, Poland - 22 Mar 2019
Worldwide unique African Penguin in Gdansk, Poland - 22 Mar 2019

An extremely rare albino penguin has made its debut at Gdansk Zoo in northern Poland.

The penguin hatched in mid-December and has been under veterinary care. In the wild, such an unusual-looking penguin would be rejected by other penguins and would have little chance of survival.

But in Gdansk, it has its parents and two other friendly penguins to look out for it.

The bird's sex has not yet been determined. It weighs over half a kilogram (1.1 pounds) and stands 28 centimetres (11 inches) tall.

Zoo director Michal Targowski said on Friday that the albino penguin "would have become the very first to be attacked by predators".

He said it requires special care, being prone to diseases since it lacks a protective black pigment. He said his team was astonished and "incredibly happy" to have a baby albino penguin.

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