Balding penguin's wetsuit lets him swim again - Science- msnbc.com

Awwwwww..... I love good news! I was so delighted to read the story of Pierre the balding African penguin. Of course it's sad he's losing his feathers but oh, the biologists at the California Academy of Sciences got a wonderful idea of making him a wet suit!

Pierre had lost some of his feathers and did not want to go for a swim with 19 other penguins having fun in the water. Pierre stayed ashore and shivered.

Dive gear supplier Oceanic Worldwide personnel was extatic when the order came in.

"We were really excited to do it," said Teo Tertel, company marketing specialist. "We heard most of these penguins only live to 20, and our little buddy there was already 25. Anything we could do to help them, we were all for it."

Since Pierre got his new suit, he has gained weight, grown back feathers on his hind parts and is again acting like his feisty, alpha-male self.

There are no plans to make him a matching surf board.

Read more and SEE PICTURE(!)@ Science- msnbc.com