WARSAW, Poland—An extremely rare albino penguin has made its debut at Gdansk Zoo in northern Poland.
The albino 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.
The bird’s sex has not yet been determined. It weighs over half a kilogram (1.1 pounds) and stands 28 centimeters (11 inches) tall.
Rare albino penguin makes debut at zoo https://t.co/vrGXBeRDqI pic.twitter.com/4SKrbK6ukd
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Zoo director Michal Targowski said Friday 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 but are “incredibly happy” to have a baby albino penguin.
Czech Zoo Welcomes Albino Wallaby
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Staff and visitors to Decin Zoo were devastated when their best-known resident Sigfried the grizzly bear died last year and now hope the baby wallaby’s striking white fur and red eyes will draw visitors.
Although albino wallabies are not rare, they would struggle to survive in the wild due to their sensitive skin and eyes but would be expected to thrive in a contained environment such as the zoo.
Reuters contributed to this report.
