ADORABLE PENGUINS CUDDLING EACH OTHER IN THE NIGHT SKY
In difficult times, we tend to turn to those closest to us for comfort. It appears animals are no different from us when it comes to seeking comfort. Photographer Tobias Baumgertner proved it by sharing these touching photos with the world. In the photos taken in Melbourne, two penguins hug and look at the city lights.
Baumgartner spent three nights at a small penguin colony in St Kilda before he was able to photograph. One shows a slightly larger black penguin with the dorsal fin of a smaller silver penguin. In another, we see a silver penguin gently nuzzling its head against its companion. Thanks to a local volunteer, Baumgartner was able to learn more about these penguins, and their shared history makes the photos even more touching.
"The way these two lovebirds took care of each other stood out from the whole colony," he shared. "While all the other penguins were sleeping or running, these two seemed to just stand there and enjoy every second together, holding each other's flippers and talking about penguin stuff."
Non-profit organixsation Earthcare St Kilda, which runs the colony, wrote that the penguins may actually be related. They identified the penguin on the right as a pre-moult adult penguin and the penguin on the left as a juvenile that could be an offspring of an adult. In any case, it's fun to imagine these penguins, whether friends or relatives, enjoying an evening looking up at the lights. And it's gratifying to see that, like us, they find happiness in their loved ones.