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Three penguin chicks have been stolen from an aquarium in Norway

The birds are only three weeks old and weigh around 300 grams each

Sophie McIntyre
Monday 18 May 2015 11:25 BST
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Baby penguins
Baby penguins

Norwegian police conducted a search after three-week-old baby Humbolt penguins and an egg disappeared from Norway’s Aalesund Aquarium last week.

Police suspect students were behind the theft, after they charged five or six youths for breaking into the aquarium on Friday, according to Police Investigator Rita Thoresen.

"None of them admits taking the penguins," she said.

Humbolt penguins at London Zoo

Erik Standal, Head of the Aalesund Aquarium on Norway's west coast, described the bird’s disappearance as a "tragedy".

"They will not be able to survive for much longer," he said.

"They should have been in their nest for maybe 2-3 more weeks before they go outside."

The chicks are only three weeks old and weigh around 300 grams each.

More than 100 volunteers turned out to help the police search for the flightless birds in the countryside around the aquarium.

May is a time of celebration for high school graduates in Norway, often including drunkenness and pranks or dares including, kissing a policeman or even, on one occasion, hugging the central bank governor.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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