Care home residents make new penguin pals

You might have had animals like dogs or donkeys visit your school, but what about penguins?

Well, that's what people living in this care home were treated to after a visit from Pringle and Widget, two Humboldt penguins from Heythrop Zoological Gardens.

The zoo took the penguins to the care home in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire as part of a session using animal therapy.

Eighty-nine-year-oldnresident Les loved meeting one of the penguins, saying: "It was very comfortable and never murmured, so it was quite nice. I enjoyed it."

Pringle and Widget have been in training for their whole lives at Heythrop Zoological Gardens to become therapy penguins.

Penguin handler Luke Fillary said that the birds are "very well behaved" and have been in their jobs for six years.

Lots of other animals visit the care home too, something which is very important to wellbeing coordinator Bridget Peck.

"I think animals play an important role for everybody's wellbeing," she said.

"Not just dogs - we have donkeys, ponies, every Easter we have the ducks and chickens come in. So penguins, why not? It was great."

In animal-assisted therapy, therapists use animals to help people open up and feel more relaxed and at ease.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) say that animals can be really useful for some people as 'animals are a mood lifter and an ice breaker. They are honest, empathetic'.