Sweet encounter

Giant penguin baby “Pesto” delights Katy Perry

Who could resist baby penguin "Pesto"? Not Katy Perry, anyway.(Bild: www.instagram.com/katyperry)

The enormous penguin chick "Pesto" from the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium not only delights social media users all over the world, but also superstars: US pop icon Katy Perry has now paid a visit to the spherical ball of fluff. 

In a video posted by the 39-year-old, she showed her enthusiasm for the baby lump, who already weighs 22.5 kilos at nine months old. "He looks really cuddly," she told Australia's ABC.

Bubbles for the "little baby"
When she stood opposite him, she burst out: "He's just a little baby," she sings, pining for the chocolate-brown social media star, who clearly towers over everyone else in his colony of king penguins. Wrapped up in a thick winter jacket, Perry squats next to "Pesto" during her short guest appearance in the cold enclosure and gently blows bubbles in his direction. "'Pesto' loves bubbles," a keeper explained to her.

Nervousness before the performance
Perry ("Hot n Cold") is currently Down Under because she wants to provide the entertainment program at the Australian Football League (AFL) grand final between the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions this weekend.

In the run-up to the show, she told ABC News Breakfast about her nervousness before the performance: "It will be the most exciting thing when 100,000 people sing along to all the songs at the top of their lungs."

Extraordinary size
After her visit to penguin "Pesto", she emphasized with a wink that the bird had already told her the result of the AFL final in advance: "But my lips are sealed." 

The young bird, which was born at the end of January, is considered a phenomenon due to its extraordinary size. When "Pesto" soon sheds his fluffy brown baby plumage, experts predict that he will lose some of his girth. But even in his black and white "tuxedo" outfit, he will probably always be the biggest in the aquarium.