Love Birds: Two Penguins Celebrate Their 22nd Anniversary

This is too cute

This adorable penguin couple could teach us all a thing or two about keeping romance alive in a long-term relationship.

Over the weekend these two African black-footed penguins celebrated their 22nd Valentine’s day together in style – it was rom-com worthy stuff.

The handsome birds, named Kohl and Zelda shared a romantic meal together and were waited on by a sharply dressed butler.

Image credit: Audubonimages

There’s evidence too that these love birds exchanged tokens of their affection ahead of the meal – an ‘I love you’ balloon, a bunch of red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates added a celebratory feel to their intimate dinner. Take note people, the old tricks work a charm. The love these penguins share is still going strong after 22 years.

You can probably guess what was on the menu… both Kohl and Zelda opted for a simply prepared fish dish. They also appear to have toasted their copper anniversary with something sparkling. All stops were pulled out.

Image credit: Audubonimages

The couple have lived happily together at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans for over two decades. And senior aviculturist Tom Dyer explains that their commitment to one another, while not entirely unusual, is definitely something special:

"While most species of penguins mate for life, there is still a divorce rate. We've seen our share of penguin heartbreak, infidelity and sometimes joyful reunion here in our colony. Kohl and Zelda, however, are spending their 22nd Valentine's Day together. They are Audubon's sweethearts."

If you’ve fallen for this pair of passionate penguins you can keep tabs on them via Twitter. Kohl, a professional painter, has a personal account where he shares all kinds of penguin news.