[Note: undated footage]

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 15th July.

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.

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.

Zoo director 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.

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.