Special suit gives baldness the bird

Baldness is a common enough condition, but not usually amongst penguins.

Yet that is exactly what has befallen one of the birds at Marwell Wildlife near Winchester.

Now keepers at the zoo have designed a special wetsuit for Ralph, the follicly challenged penguin.

They are worried that the Hampshire sunshine will be enough to burn the bald bird, even if the ‘barbecue summer’ promised for 2009 has been a washout.

Sunburn is not usually a problem for Marwell’s penguins, as they normally moult every year and renew their coats over several weeks.