SeaWorld penguin receives customized wetsuit

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Guests who are looking to visit Antarctica at "Empire of the Penguin" at SeaWorld will soon note that one of the penguins stands out from the others.

The penguin is wearing her own wetsuit. Maria Barreto, a wardrobe craftsperson, created a wetsuit for the penguin. Not only did the female penguin look stylish, but she looked very comfortable and excited as she swam side to side underwater.

"I'm happy that everything is going OK, and they approved that she can wear this to keep her warm,” Barreto said.

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The penguin is wearing a wetsuit because she has lately experienced feather loss on the side of her body and on her back, which can also affect penguins in their natural habitats and wild populations, officials at SeaWorld said.

Because of this heartbreaking experience that the penguin was facing at the time, the penguin had a hard time controlling her body temperature. The new suit will keep her warm in the water and wherever she goes.

She can also sleep and eat with her fellow penguins while wearing the suit, SeaWorld said.

SeaWorld officials said they enjoy using everyday technology to care for each and every animal.

T.J. Dray, an aviculturist at SeaWorld, said he hopes to use the wetsuit for other animals who have experienced situations like the female penguin.

"We care for each of these penguins individually. So being able to make that kind of a difference for her is really cool,” Dray said.

Cox Media Group