Zoo names penguin chick Wilfred after Boris Johnson’s newborn son

A rare rockhopper penguin chick has been named after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's newborn son.

Zookeepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak, decided to call the youngster Wilfred, as it will grow up with a "blonde crown" of feathers.

The sex of the endangered chick, which was born as part of an international breeding programme, remains unknown.

Jamie Graham, team leader of birds at the zoo, said: "As a rule, I don't name the birds at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, but the arrival of our yellow-haired chick so close to the birth of the son of the UK's famous blond Prime Minister was too much of a coincidence to pass up.

"Rockhoppers are famous for their crest of bright yellow head feathers and little Wilfred will see their blonde crown appear after their first moult."

Mr Johnson and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, named their son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, in part after doctors Nick Price and Nick Hart, who cared for the Prime Minister when he was in hospital with Covid-19.