AN unusual friendship has blossomed between an arthritic penguin and his 57-year-old keeper.
Dippy the Humboldt penguin moved to Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre a year ago when his long-term home on the Isle of Wight was forced to close.
At 21-years-old, Dippy is older than most of the flock, and so his feathered friends have already paired up.
Dippy has bonded with aquarist Dave Warriner, who admits that tending to Dippy is his favourite daily duty.
While Dippy is friendly with all the keepers, it is only Dave who gets an enthusiastic braying call and then a swift waddle approach to receive a friendly tickle.
“I must confess I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for him,” said Mr Warriner, of Caister-on-Sea. “It’s the way he lifts his little wings so I can tickle him underneath.”
The keeper has to rake the sand in the enclosure and give things a general sprucing up, including brushing down the sloping rock that is Dippy’s very own disabled access ramp into the penguin colony’s pool.
Dippy is one of 15 Humboldt penguins at the centre, all captive-bred.
As well as entertaining visitors with their antics they help raise awareness of penguin conservation needs.
Humboldts have been reduced to an estimated 10,000 pairs in their native Peru and Argentina, mainly because of over-fishing of their favourite food source.
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