Unhappy Feet in sodden UK

Humboldt penguins come from Peru and Chile but have been upset by the incessant rain in England.

After weeks of rain and wind in England, miserable penguins at a marine centre are being fed anti-depressants to cheer them up.

The 12 Humboldt penguins at the Sealife Centre in Scarborough, northeast England, were showing signs of stress as they shivered through one of the wettest winters on record.

So it was decided to slip pills into the fish they are fed.

Although the penguins are accustomed to cold weather in their natural habitat of Peru and Chile, the constant rain has come as a shock to them.

"They are just not used to this type of constant, prolonged bad weather that we are having," a spokeswoman said. "They are under treatment for stress and we hope the tablets will have a calming effect on them."

Keepers noticed that the penguins were tending to huddle together for warmth rather than plunging into the water, which is their natural habitat, said Lyndsey Crawford, the centre's display curator. "Hopefully their instincts will kick in and they will realise they are not in any danger," she said.

The penguins have no idea that they are taking pills and suffer no discomfort as a result.

- AAP