Polish zoo shows off rare albino penguin chick
The shy, waddling addition to the Gdansk Zoo is only three months old. It's also the only bird of its kind in captivity.
Extremely rare
Gdansk Zoo allowed its new albino penguin out for a stroll in front of the public for the first time on Friday. Zookeepers are still unsure whether the 3-month-old is male or female. Until they find out, the chick will go without a name. What they do know is the bird is the only penguin of its kind in captivity.
Left out in the cold
"It's shy and a little bit scared... We didn't want to put it through the stress of a thorough medical examination," spokesperson Emilia Salach said. Staff are nervous the other birds will reject it because of its unusual appearance; so far, they have kept it separated from most of the rest of the flock.
Placid penguin parents
"Every misfit in a flock is more exposed to rejection and harm... We can see already it hasn't been accepted yet by most of our little penguin family," Salach said. For the moment the bird lives with its parents and two of the zoo's most placid penguins.