An adorable king penguin chick has captured zoo visitors' hearts after it hatched at the oldest zoo in the world last month in the middle of a heatwave.

Fortunately, the Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, has a cooled Polarium enclosure, and footage shows the little fellow being nestled safely between its parents after it hatched on July 15.

Additional scenes depict the curious chick eagerly nibbling at fresh ice as it begins to adapt to its new super-cold surroundings and gradually becomes familiar with the rest of the colony.

Zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: 'With a height of up to 95 centimetres, the king penguin is the second-largest penguin species after the emperor penguin.

'King penguins do not build nests. Instead, they incubate their egg while standing in a brood pouch for around 55 days.'

The chick will remain under the care of its parents until it grows a full warm down plumage and becomes ready to take its first swim.

Hering-Hagenbeck highlighted that the zoo has created a unique environment tailored to the king penguins' needs, replicating the natural conditions of their habitat on the sub-Antarctic islands.

He said: 'This includes ensuring that both air and water temperatures throughout the year are adapted to the natural conditions found in the wild.

'Currently, both are maintained at around 10 degrees Celsius.'

The king penguins' pool water remains clean and continually fresh thanks to a sophisticated sand filtration system combined with temporary ozone treatment.

Every two months, the penguins are treated to a gourmet selection of marine fish, including mackerel and herring, delivered fresh as premium feed.

Moreover, fresh ice created by a specialised machine encourages king penguins' natural behaviours and adds variety to their environment.

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest penguin species after the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).

This bird was exploited commercially in the past for its blubber, oil, meat, and feathers. Today, it is fully protected.