The penguin who's no spring chicken
A Devon zoo has become home to a female African penguin thought to be the oldest in the UK.
Pat celebrates her 35th birthday tomorrow at Living Coasts in Torquay, making her the second oldest female in Europe. She is also known by the slightly less romantic title of 'number 1389' and lives on the English Riviera with her own private beach and all the fish she can eat.
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Pat, an African penguin, is celebrating her 35th birthday at Living Coasts in Torquay
Pat was hatched at Paignton Zoo in 1978, but the venerable old bird has lived at Living Coasts since it opened in 2003. Her partner Eddie was hatched in April 2001 at Paignton Zoo, making him just 11.
Keeper Cara Burton said: "Pat has a very distinctive stance with her flippers sticking out. She can be seen by her burrow or down at the public feeds.
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"Eddie likes to preen her and show her lots of affection. She is a very sweet penguin, quite happy to approach keepers for fish, and once she has decided she has had enough will head back to her burrow holding a sprat in her beak.
"She is a very healthy and happy-looking bird. Hopefully she has many more years to come."
Pat has had nine chicks in her time, and even has three great-grand penguins at Living Coasts. The zoo has the largest colony of African penguins in the UK.
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