A penguin at SeaWorld Orlando now wears a tiny wetsuit, specially made for her after she began to experience feather loss.
As a result of the bald spots, Wonder Twin, a female Adelie penguin, was unable to regulate her body temperature, according to a release. The wetsuit is intended to “mimic her former coat of feathers” and was designed by SeaWorld’s wardrobe department.
Feather loss can also happen to penguins in the wild, according to SeaWorld. A feather loss disorder was documented in wild and captive African and wild Magellanic penguins, according to NBC News. In 2014, two Adelie penguin chicks were observed with patches of missing feathers in Antarctica, according to NBC.
Wonder Twin is not the first captive penguin to don a wetsuit after experiencing feather loss. Pierre, an African penguin held at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, was famous for wearing one until his feathers began to grow back. The penguin, who died earlier this year at age 33, also has a children’s book written about him, according to the Los Angeles Times. A Humboldt penguin named Ralph at Marwell Wildlife in the United Kingdom also wears a wetsuit.
SeaWorld reported falling attendance and profits in August, with shares falling to a record low. The controversial aquatic theme park faced backlash after the release of Blackfish, a film about an orca whale named Tilikum that has been involved in multiple human deaths and the treatment of whales in captivity.
Last year, SeaWorld announced it would end its whale shows at its San Diego park and would cease breeding captive orca whales.