Why zookeepers gave these baby penguins a pedicure

By Caitlin James

Baby penguins are getting a pedicure at a zoo to stop their keepers from confusing them.

One of the chicks from each pair in a nest box has had their toenails painted blue with nail polish.

This is so their health checks, weight and developmental progress can be accurately recorded by keepers at Blackpool Zoo in Lancashire.

The Magellanic penguins - native to Argentina and Chile - are the only ones of their kind in the UK, with 10 males and 13 females currently living in the zoo's newly expanded Penguin Cove.

The penguins, known for their fast swimming and strong flippers, are experiencing population decline and are listed as near threatened.

Jason Keller, senior keeper at Blackpool Zoo, said: "We're delighted to have welcomed lots of new chicks to Penguin Cove.

"As they grow, it's easy to confuse them, especially with multiple chicks in some nest boxes and markings that are very similar.

"Painting the toenails of one from each nest box containing two chicks with blue varnish means we can be sure we are recording all their information correctly."

The gender of the chicks is currently unknown, but as they begin to venture outside of their nests in the coming weeks, keepers will send feather samples to a specialist lab to identify it.

Once this is confirmed, they will be named and have an identification band fitted.

The chicks are then expected to begin learning how to swim in the pool and will continue to be fed regurgitated fish by both parents until they are old enough to eat independently.

Jason added, "We’re looking forward to watching the chicks grow over the summer. It is always wonderful to see them getting braver and exploring more every day."