How penguin baby walker helped Flop back to his feet at Dudley Zoo

Flop hatched back in April, but shortly after her mother passed away and her father started to leave the nest for long periods of time, forcing zookeepers to step in to rear her.

She also developed a lip and had to be seen by the zoo's vet, who 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Flop started to lose her appetite and became withdrawn, sparking concern among staff that she may not survive. 

However, zookeepers came with the idea of a baby bouncer to help keep her upright and also constructed a tailor-made treadmill by adapting a baby walker for her.

A spokesperson for Dudley Zoo said: "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."

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

This greatly boosted her recovery. Within days, she started lifting her head and standing upright without extra help. An animal physiotherapist also gave the bird team exercises to help her regain strength.

A little over a month later, Flop spent her first full day in the isolation area with the other baby penguins. She remains there for now as she and the others gradually transition back to the main colony.

Now, the baby penguin has her waddle back - though she will always be smaller and lighter than other penguins. 

Staff at the zoo added that they "can’t wait to watch how she adapts to any challenges that come her way in the future."