The world's oldest zoo has offered people the opportunity to sponsor its adorable Humboldt penguins this Christmas as a unique gift opportunity.

Officials at Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, said the idea aims to bring joy while supporting vital conservation efforts of the rare penguin species.

Schoenbrunn director Dr Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: 'With every sponsorship, you support the daily care of our animals and contribute to our species conservation work worldwide.'

With around 600 animal species, the zoo offers a wide variety of animals available for sponsorship, with the most popular choices, aside from the Humboldt penguins, being giraffes, elephants, and red pandas.

Four different sponsorship packages are available, starting at just EUR 5 (GBP 4) a month. Each package offers unique benefits, ranging from personalised certificates to exclusive events.

All sponsorships reportedly require a minimum term of 12 months, with uniform pricing across all animal species.

Sponsorship department representative Nina Gruy-Jany said: 'We are pleased that the pre-Christmas period is not a quiet time in our department and that sponsorships are popular gifts - both for yourself and loved ones.

'Anyone who completes a sponsorship online at www.zoovienna.at/patenschaften by December 16 will receive a certificate and sponsorship documents in time for Christmas and can visit their new charges in Schoenbrunn Zoo during the holidays.'

Native to South America, along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile, Humboldt penguins are listed as 'Vulnerable' on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, with no population recovery plan in place.

The current wild population is roughly 23,800 mature individuals and is reportedly declining.