Most people wouldn’t dare to keep penguins as pets, but there was a family that gladly keeps one in their home, having maybe the strangest pet I have ever seen. This is Lala, a lovely King penguin who was living for many years with a Japanese family in Shibushi City.
The family reportedly rescued the penguin in 1996 after he was caught and injured in a fishing net. They took him in, took care of him and healed him, and even gave him a room with air conditioning. After that, the animal had gotten too attached to them and refused to leave, so they decided to keep him as a pet. They tried their best to give him a comfortable life.
Journalists from all around the globe contacted the family for an interview. In 2006, when the penguin was around 10 years old, Real TV made a short documentary about his life. In the documentary, Lala lived his life in his own air-conditioned room and walked the streets of his town.
After the family took him to the market for the first time, the animal kept wanting to go back (expectedly). The family noticed that Lala liked to walk and is smart, so they taught him to wear a tiny backpack and walk alone to the market to get the meal he adores.
When the penguin hit the road with his backpack on, he went straight to the fish store. Lala bought his fish there and took some home to eat. Certainly, the sight of a penguin wandering around with his tiny backpack is not an everyday thing to see.
Lala’s favorite thing was to strap on his penguin-shaped backpack and go to the market for some sardines and mackerel every day. He also loved his owners and his room. Unfortunately, Lala has already passed away but still, everybody remembers him to this day.
Watch Lala’s shopping routine and his memory in the following video:
Isn’t he adorable? If you like this video, please share it with your close ones!