Photo Gallery Picky Penguin Gets Her Man
Thirteen years ago, the African penguin Sandy arrived in Münster's zoo. She ignored all the other penguins and only paid attention to her keeper, Peter Vollbracht. "I didn't choose her," says Vollbracht. "She chose me. I was just her big penguin."
It wasn't the first story of keeper-animal love in this animal-obsessed country. Berlin's famous polar bear, Knut, also had an extremely close relationship with his keeper, Thomas Dörflein, who died tragically in 2008.
For 10 years, Sandy only had eyes for Vollbracht. In addition to visiting schools, handicapped children and retirement homes, they made the rounds of Germany's leading talk and late-night entertainment shows. But after Vollbracht was kept home for six weeks, he returned to the zoo to find that Sandy had found a new boyfriend -- a penguin. "After 10 years of having her on my arm," Vollbracht says with a sigh, "she'd completely written me off."
But in September, Tom died. "After Tom died," Vollbracht says, "I came back to work from vacation, and it was like she'd flipped a switch. She was looking for someone, and I was there." Now Sandy and Vollbracht are back together again and pleasing the crowds together.
