December 22, 2005 - 3:19PM
http://smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/12/22/toga_narrowweb__300x453,0.jpgStolen ... Toga, just three months old.
Photo: AFP
The fate of a stolen baby penguin, which has little chance of surviving another 24 hours, has thousands of people across the world on tenterhooks.
Cash donations from across Britain, America, Russia and elsewhere boosted the reward for the recovery of Toga - a three-month-old, black-foot penguin stolen from his enclosure at an Isle of Wight zoo last weekend - to more than $11,000.
As satellite television vans descended on the Amazon Zoo Park, where Toga's parents listlessly awaited the return of their offspring, people from around the world phoned, sent e-mails and scanned the internet, hoping for some good news.
"Two churches in America have contacted me to say they are praying for Toga's safe return," said the zoo owner, Derek Curtis, bleary-eyed after a string of television appearances.
"The reaction has been extraordinary, overwhelming. I thought it might cause a stir on the island but nothing like this. People are so concerned and are being so kind.
More:
http://smh.com.au/news/world/stolen-penguins-time-runs-out/2005/12/22/1135032124967.html