One of Ski Dubai’s fastest swimmers, Speedy the gentoo penguin, took his time to find the perfect rock with which to propose to his fiancée, Sneezy, ready for Valentine’s Day.
Monogamous in nature, the gentoo penguin is known for its elaborate mating ritual in which a male penguin will look for the smoothest pebble as an offering to their chosen mate.
If the lucky female accepts the pebble, she will then take the love token into her nest and the male penguin as her lifelong partner.
This being the mating season, the two lovebirds went through this ritual within the confines of Ski Dubai’s snow park this week.
Typically, trainers hide pebbles in the snow park for the penguins to discover during mating season.
However being a spontaneous penguin, Speedy just could not wait.
The proposal happened during the daily penguin march, when one of the trainers noticed five-year-old Speedy acting oddly and looking through the snow.
According to the trainers, he went digging in the wall for a rock, pecking it out, and then heading over to Sneezy.
Trainers and visitors watched as the penguin presented the rock to Sneezy and bowed.
To the delight of everyone watching, Sneezy accepted the pebble and Speedy as her lifetime mate.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
