local press article CLOCK TICKING FOR MISSING PENGUIN By Jon Moreno TIME IS fast running out for the rare baby penguin stolen from a Newchurch animal attraction, which could die if not reunited with its mother. Rewards totalling more than £10,000 have been offered for the safe return of Toga, the three-month-old brown-and-white brownfoot or jackass penguin after it was stolen on Saturday evening. On Thursday false hope was raised when Amazon World took an anonymous call from a man telling manager Kathy Bright he had dumped the penguin into the sea at Portsmouth docks and another anonymous call was made to GMTV minutes later. However, despite a search, Toga was not found. E-mails from well-wishers worldwide have also flooded in to Amazon World where Toga was born and where staff spent five hours searching for him on Sunday. The penguin, an endangered species from remote parts of South Africa, stands barely two feet tall and weighs around seven pounds. Toga was in a concrete enclosure surrounded by high fences. According to Ms Bright, Toga needs special care and is not yet old enough to be apart from his parents, particularly his mum, Layana, who feeds him. "If he is not found quickly, he will die as he relies on his parents for food," Ms Bright said. "Someone must know of his whereabouts and our main priority is to have the baby returned as soon as possible." Toga will not feed from a human and can get very stressed. He requires a special diet with supplements, to be kept cool and access to plenty of fresh water. According to Ms Bright, Toga is not as cuddly as he appears and will bite when frightened. Amazon World is one of only three facilities in the UK that houses this breed of penguin. Amazon World owner Derek Curtis said he believed the penguin was stolen to order and could well be off the Island. "There's nothing more cuddly than a baby penguin at Christmas. I'm praying and hoping to God it's still on the Island," said Mr Curtis. "Toga's parents are very stressed and have, since he was taken, been constantly in and out of the nest box. "As part of an ongoing conservation programme, we aimed to return Toga to the wild within the next three years." Anyone with knowledge of Toga's whereabouts should contact Amazon World on 867122 for staff to collect him. Alternatively, contact police on 0845 0454545 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
RE: local press article Found it in Portsmouth</p> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/22/utoga.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/12/22/ixportaltop.html</p>
