Penguin cataract surgery at Colchester Zoo

Wellamy, a 19-year-old Humboldt penguin from Colchester Zoo, has had her sight saved after receiving a cataract operation from the Animal Health Trust (AHT) – a procedure the trust believed was the first to have been performed on a penguin in the UK.

The zoo said she had been having difficulty mixing with other penguins since her sight deteriorated and was referred to the charity, who diagnosed her with severe cataracts in both eyes and uveitis which impaired her vision – especially underwater.

AHT head of ophthalmology Claudia Hartley said: ‘Wellamy’s eyes have healed really well. I was delighted to see that she looked fantastic. She’s really full of herself, crowing with her mates and back to her gobby normal self.’