Napoleon falls for Wellington

A penguin named after French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte has fallen in love - with his keeper's black and white Wellington boot. Keeper Dennis Kuebler said: "The last time Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington were associated together it was to fight at Waterloo.

"This time round though its just love. When Bonaparte sees my wellington boots he gets very excited, and starts jumping around - he rubs his nose on the boots and cuddles up to them. He clearly sees sees the boots as a potential female mating partner. He rubs himself against them and gets very excited, showing off and trying to seduce the boot."



Even when the boot is taken off and left on its own at the enclosure at the Sea Life Centre in Constance, Germany, it does not stop the amorous penguin. He added: "As soon as I come through the door Bonaparte is there. Next year we were hoping to have penguin babies, we put the males and females together, but Bonaparte seem more interested in the rubber boot.

He even fights to keep the boot away from other male penguins - and he attacked another penguin called Jasper that got too close to his rubber lover. "We will have to keep them away from my boot in the hope that they will turn their attention to the real females - not rubber ones. I'm going to buy myself some coloured wellies - hopefully that will keep them away."