With the Christmas and New Year fast approaching, good cheer is needed more so with the Covid-19 pandemic having played havoc with people’s lives, especially the elderly. In order to do this, residents of a care home located in Oxfordshire were treated to very unlikely visitors – the Humboldt penguins – Charlie and Pringle.

Both these flightless birds, who are native of Peru and Chile, have been regularly visiting other homes as therapy for their residents.

Talking to news.sky.com, Manager of Spencer Court, Dorte Chandler, said: “Residents and colleagues at the home have experienced very challenging times since COVID-19 emerged, so we wanted to make this Christmas extra special for everyone. What better way to do that than by welcoming these wonderful penguins right into our care home. They are amazing creatures, and we are all enjoying learning more about them together."

The images of the visit by these inmates of the Heythrop Zoo in Oxfordshire showed the residents laughing and smiling while enjoying the unusual company. Some even had the birds perched on their laps.

Heythrop Zoo told the media: "These penguins are not only comfortable and familiar with travelling, but we believe they show positive behaviour signs when interacting with different people… they are used to and therefore not stressed by the presence of human beings. It is the belief of Heythrop Zoo that by bringing unusual and undomesticated species to the attention of the general public – particularly when accompanied by educational talks – they raise community awareness that indirectly aids conservation."