Norwegian police suspect 4 teenagers in penguin theft from animal park

Humbolt penguins seen in their habitat at an aquarium in Aalesund on Norway's west coast, Friday May 15, 2015. Authorities say at least four Norwegian teenagers are suspected of stealing a Humboldt penguin egg and three newly-hatched babies from an animal park in mid-Norway. A police spokesman said Friday four have confessed trespassing but deny theft. They face fines or prison of up to one year if convicted. (Marius Simensen/NTB scanpix via AP) NORWAY OUT (The Associated Press)

A Humbolt penguin is seen in its habitat at an aquarium in Aalesund on Norway's west coast, Friday May 15, 2015. Authorities say at least four Norwegian teenagers are suspected of stealing a Humboldt penguin egg and three newly-hatched babies from an animal park in mid-Norway. A police spokesman said Friday four have confessed trespassing but deny theft. They face fines or prison of up to one year if convicted. (Marius Simensen/NTB scanpix via AP) NORWAY OUT (The Associated Press)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Authorities say at least four Norwegian teenagers are suspected of stealing a Humboldt penguin egg and three newly-hatched penguin babies from an animal park in western Norway.

Police spokesman Yngve Skovly says seven people were seen on a security video climbing over a fence late Wednesday to enter an enclosure where the three-week-old babies lived at the Atlanterhavsparken saltwater aquarium outside Aalesund.

Skovly said Friday that four students confessed to trespassing but deny theft. They face fines or up to one year in prison if convicted. The vocational school students had visited the park earlier Wednesday.

Park manager Tor Erik Standal told The Associated Press he feared the penguin babies were dead by now because they "desperately need their parents to survive."

The Humboldt penguins breed in Chile and Peru.