Watch: Europe's oldest penguin celebrates 36th birthday at her home in UK Wildlife Park

Heartwarming footage shows Spneb - who is almost three times the average age of a Humboldt Penguin - celebrating her special day. Staff at Paradise Park in Hayle in Cornwall marked her 36th birthday with a fishy cake. Spneb’s keeper, Becky Waite, told the BBC the special penguin "still has a boyfriend" - and she has become "quite wise" in her old age. A Humboldt’s Penguin's life expectancy ranges between 10 to 15 years. After arriving in Cornwall in May 1988 from Birdworld Farnham and spending most of her life in Cornwall, Spneb has benefitted from veterinary care at the wildlife park to help her live to her ripe old age. Her unusual name was picked by keepers after she underwent treatment for a dangerous fungal disease called Aspergillosis in 2007. At the time she was being treated with a drug 'Sp' using a nebuliser, or a 'neb' - eventually giving her the unusual name.

Becky said: "In captivity, they can be a bit older because when things stop working we can give them anything to help them along. She likes to check everybody out and she makes sure that the group is keeping out of mischief."