A penguin born with badly splayed legs is celebrating her first birthday with happy feet - thanks to her elastic pants.<br /><br />Pebbles faced a life of permanently disability because of her condition which is common in penguins.<br /><br />But staff at Scarborough Sea Life Centre, North Yorks., made her a pair of special elastic trousers and now the Humboldt chick walks unaided.<br /><br />She celebrated her first birthday on Tuesday with an iced cake in the shape of fish.<br /><br />Lyndsey Crawford, displays supervisor at the centre, said: “Pebbles’ mum and dad were a bit over zealous with their brooding, and by the time we were able to disturb the nest without upsetting them her legs were growing out sideways instead of straight.<br /><br />“It’s a common problem with many bird species, but unless treated quickly it can result in a permanent disability.”<br /><br />Lyndsey and her colleagues used coloured elasticated bandage to make Pebbles tight-fitting trousers and gradually they succeeded in correcting her gait.
