Most unlikely Valentine’s Day pairing? Japanese bird centre releases adorable video of smitten penguin chasing her keeper
Matsue Vogel Park centre posts footage after widowed female Sakura apparently decided to swear off penguins altogether
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A video showing the unlikely love-match between a penguin and her keeper has shot the pair to internet stardom – and just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The brief but adorable footage (see below) shows 10-year-old female Sakura following right on the heels of Tsuyoshi Notsu at the Matsue Vogel Park bird centre in Japan.
Smiling for the camera, Mr Notsu, 40, starts running – and Sakura gives chase, desperate to stay as close to him as she can. She strikes courting poses and at one point, when appearing to fall over, is actually assuming a breeding position.
The video clip is cut short at 36 seconds when park visitors walk in on the affair – but it has been viewed more than 150,000 times in the past 24 hours after it was posted on the aviary’s YouTube page.
Scores have commented, mainly on how it is “possibly the world’s cutest thing ever” – but there is also a tragic back story to Sakura’s advances.
According to reports in the local Mainichi Daily News, Sakura’s mate Musachi died last October. She spent months searching for her partner, but in December appeared to have given up.
At that point she turned her affections to Mr Notsu, and has been following him around ever since. The Mainichi also pointed out that in penguin years Sakura is 30 – meaning there is an age gap to add to the difference in species between the pair.
Mr Notsu told the newspaper that while he is happy to have Sakura around – and after the success of the video clip she is sure to be popular with visitors – the relationship has started getting in the way of his work.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments