Penguin tries a dating site to find himself an ice girl

LOVELORN penguin Spruce has had his profile uploaded to dating site Plenty of Fish in the hope he can p-p-p-pick up a p-p-p-partner.

Keepers at a Sea Life centre acted after realising the one-year-old Humboldt was feeling lonely as the only penguin without a mate.

Staff hope that by spreading the word on social media other penguin carers around the world may get in touch and can find Spruce a girl.

Sarah Everett, Spruce’s carer at Sea Life in Weymouth, Dorset, said: “We hand-reared Spruce from a chick and successfully reintroduced him into our penguin colony.

“Penguins are affectionate birds by nature and often mate for life. I want to see Spruce settle down with the right girl.

“We had no luck at other Sea Life centres so I thought it was time to look further afield. The right girl for him is out there somewhere and I’m determined to help him find her.

“A lot goes into finding the right match. We have to investigate bloodlines before we can look at moving a lady penguin into our colony and getting her settled.

“So we are keen to start the search now, so when Spruce is mature enough to father chicks, he is in a stable, loving relationship.”

Spruce’s dating profile includes his likes, seafood and swimming, and his relationship needs – “a partner for life who I can make some little chicks with, as I’m a family man at heart”.

In the wild, Humboldt penguins colonise on the coasts of Chile and Peru, where there are fewer than 10,000 pairs.