CHRISTMAS has come early to Longleat this year after the Animal Safari Park welcomed a trio of penguin chicks – the first to hatch at the park.

The chicks, which were born earlier this month, are Humboldt penguins and will live on Penguin Island at the park which features a 225,000-litre diving pool and a series of naturally-themed nesting areas.

Keeper Lucy Jacobmeyer said: “Although they are all first-time parents, the adults are doing incredibly well. Parents Paula and Nick are looking after two chicks and Eusebir and Princess have one chick.

“Apart from taking them out to check their weight we have very much left them to get on with things and they are coping brilliantly.

“The nesting areas mimic those in the wild and definitely seem to be working well and there are a number of other pairs currently sitting on eggs which we hope will start to hatch out very soon.”

Keepers at the Wiltshire wildlife attraction are confident more are chicks will start to hatch over the coming weeks.

Originally from South America, the Humboldt penguin is found in and around coastal Peru and Chile.

The penguin, which can reach a maximum height of 70com and weigh up to six kg, gets its name from the cold water current it swims in, which was discovered by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt

In the wild the penguins are under threat from climate change, overfishing and the acidification of the oceans and are now officially listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.