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Posted: 4th August 2025

Penguin chick recovers from life-saving eye surgery
Poly's eye ulcer was discovered during a routine health check.
Poly was suffering from a dangerous eye ulcer.

A Northern rockhopper penguin chick has recovered from surgery to remove her eye, which was affected by an infection.

Poly, who lives at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo, was discovered to be have an eye ulcer during a routine health check.

When the team discovered that the ulcer was not responding to medication, they had to make a decision quickly. They decided that surgery to remove the affected eye was the best option for Poly.

Stephanie Mota, veterinary surgeon at RZSS, said: “Surgery is always a last resort due to the additional risks it carries, especially for such a young chick. But in this case, it was the only option left to keep her comfortable.

“Eye problems can be painful and unfortunately there was no way to save the eye.”

Poly became sick after the surgery, and the keepers were concerned that she would not survive. She was kept in intensive care, with the zoo’s keepers and veterinary team working extra shifts to look after her and provide extra feedings. 

During this time, Poly lived in a specialised creche away from the main penguin colony.

When she was showing positive signs of recovery, Poly was reunited to her parents – who immediately began to take care of her. The veterinary team performed daily check-ins and she required ongoing medication until her recovery had progressed.

She has now been cleared by the veterinary team, is off her medication, and no longer requires daily monitoring.

Dr Mota said: “It’s especially exciting because not only is Poly a sweetheart, but due to the rockhopper’s Endangered status, every new addition to the colony is a meaningful step toward securing the future of the species.”

Northern rockhopper penguins are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. They have seen a population decline of over 90 per cent since the 1950s.

In the wild, the penguins are found in the Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island group in the South Atlantic Ocean. RZSS supports long-term conservation efforts here, including genetic analysis to assess population connectivity and diversity.

Poly, and the other Northern rockhopper chicks, can be seen at Edinburgh Zoo’s Penguins Rock.

Image © RZSS



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