How a British penguin got her waddle back, thanks to the Toronto Zoo

After a penguin in England lost her waddle, her caretakers found a unique way to get her on her feet again — with some help from the Toronto Zoo. 

Flop is a small penguin who lives in the Dudley Zoo and Castle in West Midlands, England. 

She's only a few months old, but has already been through a lot in life. Her mother died not long after she was born in April. Soon after, her dad started to leave the nest for long periods of time while neglecting to feed her. 

Then earlier this year, she became unable to hold up her own body weight. 

"Her body was just very limp, so she wasn't able to support herself," said Jack Williams, head of conservation and education at Dudley Zoo and Castle. 

"She wasn't able to pull her chest up from the ground, and certainly wasn't able to walk without support."

A veterinarian found Flop had developed an infection. It was cleared up with antibiotics, but her ability to walk didn't come back immediately, Williams said. 

When researching ways to help Flop, staff at the Dudley Zoo came across Flap, a penguin at the Toronto Zoo who had similar problems last October. 

Flap eventually regained the ability to walk through physical rehabilitation using a special harness resembling a baby bouncer. 

This took the weight off Flap's feet, so he could practice walking without having to support his entire weight, said Kate Hartzler, a staff veterinarian at the Toronto Zoo.

"We kind of took from what is used in dogs that need physio, like post-surgery, and as they age, but also pulling from people who have knee and spine injuries who need to learn to stand and walk again," she said. 

After hearing about Flap's progress, staff at the Dudley Zoo reached out to the Toronto Zoo for advice. 

"They were absolutely brilliant. They came back to us within 24 hours and they provided an awful lot of guidance," Williams said. 

Getting Flop waddling again was no easy feat. Williams said zoo keepers had many sleepless nights helping the small penguin regain her mobility. 

"So when things started to improve, there was a real sigh of relief."

LISTEN | How Flop the penguin learned to walk again: 

As It Happens6:32Flop the baby penguin rehabilitated with the help of a baby bouncer

First, Flop the baby penguin lost her mom. Then she lost her ability to stand upright. But with the help of a specially made baby bouncer, Flop is learning to waddle again at the U.K.'s Dudley Zoo and Castle. Jack Williams, the zoo’s head of conservation and education, tells As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal the rehabilitation technique was inspired by caretakers at the Toronto Zoo.

Flop's name is actually a nod to the Toronto penguin who helped her. 

Because she's so young, Williams said the zoo hadn't had a chance to name her before she got sick. 

"When Flop's conditions started to deteriorate and when we discovered Flap's case at Toronto, we decided to name her Flop in honour of Flap," Williams said. 

Hartzler said seeing how Flap's story helped a fellow penguin makes his recovery even more special. 

"His journey took a long time, but we were so proud of him and so excited seeing his progress every week, every day, even day-to-day," she said. 

"But then to have that extend not just to zoos in North America but across the pond, to see Flap helping penguins in other places far afield, it just makes that reward so much bigger."