A BALD penguin has had a wetsuit specially made for him to protect him from sunburn.

Marwell Wildlife resident Ralph, a nine-year-old Humboldt penguin named after fashion designer Ralph Lauren, has had a temporary wetsuit fashioned for him after he lost all his feathers in one day.

Penguins moult every year, usually over a period of four to six weeks, so when Ralph suddenly became bald, his keepers made a suit out of the leg of an adult wetsuit to protect the naked bird’s sensitive skin during the two or three weeks it will take for new feathers to grow.

The wetsuit was donated by a member of staff at Marwell, near Winches-ter, and, after a few minutes adjusting, Ralph (pictured) was happily swimming with his pals in the penguin pool.

David Schofield, head keeper for the penguins, said: “At first, the other penguins were curious but it wasn’t long before they recognised and accepted Ralph again.

“He doesn’t seem to mind the wetsuit and is able to swim and move around normally. It was quite easy to fit and we were able to customise it by creating the extra openings for his flippers once he was in it.”

In the wild, Humboldt penguins live along the coasts of Peru and Chile within the reaches of Humboldt Current, a cold current of water running from the Antarctic to the equator, from which they take their name.

Like all penguins, they are flightless and aquatic and have specialised feathers which moult completely once a year.

Usually, the new feathers growing underneath force out the new ones.

Humboldt penguins are thought to be declining in number, possibly due to El Nino, increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply.