A Humboldt penguin who lost her ability to waddle has learned to stand on her own feet again thanks to a unique idea from Dudley zookeepers – a specially designed baby bouncer.

Flop hatched in April and was reared by Dudley zoo’s bird care team after her mother died and her dad started leaving the nest for long periods of time.

A few weeks later she developed a limp and within 24 hours she could no longer support her own weight. Flop was taken to the vets where blood tests revealed she was having a reaction to an infection, and she was given medication.

Over time, the penguin’s appetite decreased, she became withdrawn, and staff at the Black Country zoo feared for her survival and that her quality of life looked bleak.

In a desperate attempt to save her, staff came up with the idea of using the penguin equivalent of a baby bouncer, which they handmade for her, during feeding times.

They found that as Flop couldn’t stand, all her weight was on her front, which made consuming and digesting fish uncomfortable and was putting pressure on her internal organs.

They constructed a unique treadmill and adapted a baby walker for the penguin, leaving her in an upright position for supervised periods of time to get her used to standing again.

Gradually over time, Flop started using her feet to try to push herself up, lifting her head and stumbling forward, and eventually she began standing upright by herself.

The keepers received advice from Toronto zoo, where workers had come across a similar case, and brought in an animal physiotherapist who taught staff a series of exercises they could do with Flop to build her strength.

Flop will now gradually be returned to the main penguin colony.

The zoo said: “She will always be smaller and lighter than the rest of our penguins, and the slight hunch in her back will probably never completely disappear. But thanks to her determination and the dedication of our bird keepers, Flop, our very special penguin, has found her waddle and we can’t wait to watch how she adapts to any challenges that come her way in the future.”