FATHER Christmas granted a lonely penguin her special Christmas wish – a new friend.

The colony of 11 Humboldt penguins at the SeaLife park in Weymouth had a visit from Santa, who turned up with stockings filled with fish and goodies.

But it was the youngest penguin, Sequoia, that Santa had a special treat for. He appeared at the underwater viewing window with a special Christmas gift just for her... a plush toy penguin.

Staff at the park said that Sequoia has just reached maturity and is currently the only single penguin in the enclosure.

Since all the other penguins are in pairs, she sometimes visits their nesting boxes for company but is often chased out.

This Christmas, staff at the park decided to play matchmaker, with a little help and magic from Father Christmas, to get Sequoia a friend so she’s not so lonesome during the winter evenings.

Displays curator Fiona Smith said: “Sequoia enjoys interacting with guests through the viewing window as penguins are very social creatures. She was thrilled that Father Christmas popped by to deliver her a special gift.”

Sequoia will be able to see her new friend under supervision from the staff.

Humboldt penguins like Sequoia are an endangered species and so staff at the park started a breeding programme in 2001 to help sustain numbers in captivity due to their drastic decline in the wild. With only about 12,000 Humboldt’s left in the wild, breeding colonies throughout centres will help to sustain numbers in captivity and will also help to raise awareness of their conservation status.

All the penguins at the park are available to adopt, with 20 per cent going to animal related charities to protect penguins in the wild.

Father Christmas is residing at the park until Christmas Eve and will be supplying the creatures with various different gifts up until then.