The penguin that survived the lions’ den

The plucky German penguin that survived hours in a pen full of lions may be a harbinger of something ...

Everybody loves penguins. Even before films such as Madagascar and Happy Feet boosted their popularity, only the most cold-hearted of individuals could help from taking a liking to the birds.

By all accounts they seem to get on with their lives without much complaint, living in the most inhospitable environments. And to their list of admirable qualities, we can now add bravery.

As reported in the German press, a three-month-old baby African Penguin recently escaped its habitat at a zoo in the city of Muenster, and casually strolled into a lions' enclosure. Luckily the somewhat bigger hosts had fallen asleep. Leona, as she was later named, proceeded to ignore hours of pleading by the zookeepers until eventually being enticed by a trail of fish.

After the recent slew of disheartening stories about birds falling from the sky and thousands of fish washing ashore, it can only be hoped that this story is a harbinger of happy news, and not just in the animal kingdom, throughout the next 12 months.

Perhaps this means safer driving on our roads. Or maybe Manchester United and Liverpool fans will get along. We might be dreaming, but what about a breakthrough in the Middle East peace talks?

For now we'll settle for more zookeeper-taunting by precocious penguins.