Stuttgart, Germany -- Officials at a zoo in Stuttgart, Germany, say police believe a penguin that has gone missing from her enclosure was abducted.

Stuttgart zoo officials said the penguin, a female named Babe, was taken from the enclosure she shares with 54 other African penguins at some point between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Der Spiegel reported Friday.

"She was there when zookeepers visited in the morning, and by early afternoon she was gone," said staff zoologist Isabel Koch.

"She couldn't have walked out with so many people around, but it wouldn't be so difficult to carry her away," Koch said. "She's just the size of a sack of flour."

Police said they suspect the penguin was abducted, as it would have been difficult for the flightless bird, which stands at just over a foot tall, to scale the walls of her enclosure.

"We're not sure why a thief would want to steal a penguin in Germany, since there is no black market here for stolen penguins," said police spokesman Florian Suckal. "I couldn't even guess what the thief could earn for her."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.