Endangered penguin chicks cared for at Whipsnade Zoo

Staff at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire are hand-rearing a pair of endangered penguin chicks. They were abandoned at just eight weeks old after their parents failed to feed them properly.

The rare African black-footed chicks are now three months old and are being carefully monitored. They are fed small portions of fish twice a day and are weighed regularly.

It's not yet known what sex they are but they have been affectionately nicknamed Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles, after The Flinstones characters.

They will eventually re-join the zoo's colony of African black-footed penguins in the main pool, overlooking the Chiltern Downs. They will form part of the European Breeding Programme for this endangered species.