Penguin Who Dedicated His Life To Cardboard Cutout Passes Away, Still Madly In Love

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Penguin Who Dedicated His Life To Cardboard Cutout Passes Away, Still Madly In Love

Twitter/tobuzoo7

Love is dead and so is Grape-kun, the peculiar penguin who fell in love with a cardboard cutout.

The 20-year-old Humboldt penguin first made international headlines last May when Midori, his decade-long partner, unceremoniously dumped him for a younger bird. The staff Tobu Zoo in Miyashiro, Japan said during Grape's grieving period of his decimated love life, he began spending less time with his fellow penguins and more time waddling alone, heartbroken.

However, Grape wasn't alone for long until Cupid's arrow struck his beating heart. To the surprise of many, the penguin quickly went on the rebound with the cutout of Hululu, an anthropomorphized penguin from the anime Kemono Friends after it was placed in his exhibit.

Rocket News reports Hululu was originally brought into the zoo for a limited-time promotion for the series, which also saw other anime characters spread throughout neighbouring enclosures.

Grape began spending hours flanked around the cutout and at one point became so infatuated with Hululu he forgot to eat. The love-struck bird had to be isolated from her until he returned to his regular feeding habits.

Zookeepers also observed Grape standing before the cutout with his "wings outstretched and his beak pointed up."

For a penguin, this particular stance is a courtship ritual, indicating the animal is ready to take their relationship to the next level, said Daily Mail.

However, after six months of relationship bliss, death came for the beloved penguin.

A week prior to his demise, the zoo posted on social media that Grape had fallen ill and would not be appearing in his enclosure. He never returned.

The news of Grape's death has rocked the public, some are taking the initiative to permanently commemorate his feathery existence.

A Change.org petition was set up to fashion a statue of Grape and Hululu at the zoo. So far, a makeshift memorial has been put in place, with mourners bringing hundreds of flowers in remembrance.

The zoo announced Grape passing on Twitter on Oct. 12, wishing him a peace at the pearly gates.

"The Humboldt penguin Grape-kun passed away yesterday. Sincere thanks to everyone for supporting him until now. Thank you also to Hululu, who watched over him until the very end. And thank you, Grape-kun, for all this time. Rest peacefully in heaven."

Maya has been working at Shared for a year. She just begrudgingly spent $200 on a gym membership. Contact her at maya@shared.com