A woman proposed to her girlfriend with the help of several penguins from a zoo after she took her partner to see the birds because they're her favourite animals.
Louise Middlewood arranged for her girlfriend Naomi to have a feeding session with the Humboldt penguins at Drusillas Park, near Alfriston, East Sussex, and had spoken to zoo staff about her plans to propose ahead of time.
During the feeding, workers told Louise and Naomi to hunt for a small toy egg that had been hidden somewhere on the special beach inside the penguins' enclosure, and when Naomi found it, she opened it up to find a note inside telling her to turn around - where Louise was waiting on one knee.
The romantic proposal saw the penguins gather behind Louise as she got down on bended knee to ask Naomi to marry her - and luckily, the overjoyed woman said yes and the pair are now engaged.
Louise said: "Penguins were the obvious choice for my proposal, as Naomi just loves them. And it has always been on her bucket list to be up close and personal with them, so it just felt right.
"On the day the penguins were on their best behaviour and helped to pull off a very special moment indeed."
The team at Drusillas Park said that the company of Humboldt penguins at the zoo were the perfect animals to enlist to help with the proposal because they are known for having just one partner for their entire adult lives.
To keep the proposal a secret, Louise craftily booked the feeding day with the penguins to coincide with Naomi's 30th birthday, so her partner thought all the extra attention she was getting was for that special occasion - with no idea about the other surprise her girlfriend was planning.
The spokesperson said: "Drusillas is home to a colony of Humboldt penguins. And although penguins may not seem like the most romantic animal in the world, they are mostly known for having the same partner for all of their adult lives, so they really do understand love.
"Drusillas' team helped Louise concoct a secret plan to be carried out as part of a penguin feeding encounter, with additional staff on hand to help execute the plan and capture the moment on camera.
"The day also fell on Naomi's 30th birthday, so the special fuss and attention the zoo team were putting in didn't raise any suspicions and she had no idea a huge life moment was about to happen."
Louise and Naomi, from Kent, have already made plans to return to the special spot with their son in the spring, and they have been wished the best by the staff at the zoo.
Tamara Nasser, marketing manager, said: "It is always an honour to be asked to help with such a special occasion. And this was particularly fun as we had to keep lots of little secrets between us and Louise on the day.
"I even had to 'steal' her car keys to get everything set up before Naomi noticed. We wish them huge congratulations and a lifetime of happy memories."
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