A New Zealand penguin and his human friend
While Australians are constantly being swooped by vicious magpies and swerving to avoid territorial kangaroos, our neighbours across the water are making friends with a much sweeter species.
Heart-melting footage of a penguin waddling up to his human friend as he waits for him has delighted the internet and amused many New Zealand locals.
‘I love how he just hops next to the guy, he looks so happy to be there,’ wrote one viewer, as another commented, ‘I love how the penguin looks at him like he’s seeing an old friend.’
The adorable video shows a Bluff local standing on the pavement, waiting patiently for his feathered friend to navigate the traffic.
The little guy hops as quickly as he can over the road and then jumps the kerb to meet his mate, who squats down to chat to his tiny black-and-white pal.
The video shows a Bluff local standing on the footpath, waiting patiently for a feathered friend
‘Everybody round here’s got one,’ the man jokes. ‘I’ve just let him off his leash. He’s always running into houses and stealing goldfish – he’s a real nuisance.’
The penguin then hops off the road to a car that has pulled up in the breakdown lane, and makes friends with two women.
‘Wait, wait!’ calls one of them, worried for the flightless bird’s safety.
‘Don’t go out in the road yet!’
‘I love how he just hops next to the guy, he looks so happy to be there,’ commented one viewer
The penguin then hops off the road to a car on the roadside and makes friends with a woman
Kiwis are well-known for loving penguins, with one of the most popular attractions at the National Aquarium of New Zealand being the penguin tank.
Every month, the penguin keepers put up posters to that visitors know which penguins have been ‘naughty’ and which have been ‘nice’, along with an amusing anecdote about each one.
Recently, Timmy was labelled the ‘naughty penguin of the month’ for stealing fish and pushing another penguin over, according to the aquarium’s hilarious post.
Meanwhile, Betty was dubbed the ‘good penguin of the month’ for waiting patiently for her fish.
The National Aquarium of New Zealand selects a ‘naughty’ and ‘good’ penguin of the month
‘I love how the penguin looks at him like he’s seeing an old friend,’ one person wrote on the vid