A pair of penguins was temporarily freed from their habitat in the Nanjing Underwater World to play outdoors in the snow, local newspaper Yangtze Evening News reported on Wednesday.
Two penguins from the Nanjing Underwater World play in the snow on January 30.
The penguins, a male and a female, were frightened by the sudden change of environment at first, but soon relaxed and played together in the snow.
The pair was chosen to go on the 20-minute outing as part of the mating process.
"They had eyes for each other, and it was a perfect chance to give them some time alone," the penguins' keeper said. "So we kind of created a date for them."
A worker in the Nanjing Underwater World takes a penguin outside to play on January 30.
(CRI January 31, 2008)