Jan. 25, 2006 — The parents of a baby jackass penguin whose theft from a British zoo last year sparked global interest and concern have produced a new egg, the zoo's owner announced Monday.

Three-month-old Toga was stolen from Amazon World Park Zoo, on the Isle of Wight off England's south coast, when thieves broke in on Dec. 17 last year and has not been seen since.

But the animal park's owner Derek Curtis said a replacement for Toga was on its way. The chick's parents, Kyala and Oscar, recently laid a new egg, which should hatch sometime during the next two months.

"They went through a stressful time when we lost Toga. It was about three weeks before they were really clear about it. (Kyala) was absolutely stressed for the first two weeks, wandering up and down," he explained.

"Then they started to beak tap, and then they started carrying nesting material, which we were quite happy about. (Kyala) laid the egg on Thursday last week and within 40 days we should have another Toga in our life.

"That's what we're really excited about."

Despite several sightings and a 25,000 pound ($44,656) reward, Toga — who stood just 30 centimeters (12 inches) tall — has still not been recovered.

Curtis admitted that they have given up hope of him ever being returned alive, noting a police theory that the penguin chick may have been stolen to order as a Christmas present.

"It was a baby bird covered in down. It had never seen a fish, it had been fed on regurgitated food by its parents, so it didn't really have a chance," he added.