A man claimed he dumped a missing penguin, Toga, in a plastic bag at a British dockyard, police said today.
Toga the penguin who was stolen on Saturday
The baby jackass penguin was taken from Amazon World, Sandown, Isle of Wight, some time during Saturday night.
Staff at the zoo said the 1ft tall three-month old penguin would have difficulty surviving without care and attention from its parents.
A police spokeswoman said: "Police are investigating after a man rang GMTV and said he had dumped it in a plastic bag at Portsmouth dockyard.
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"The news of him being in a plastic bag doesn't sound good for his chances of being alive.
"We are also investigating the possibility that this call was a hoax." A reward of £3,000 has been offered for the safe return of the penguin.