MY BEST FRIEND IS A PENGUIN!

Working alongside ice-loving creatures is a dream come true for Nicola

- Maisy Rae

The pitter-patter of tiny, webbed feet welcomes Nicola Saville into work each morning. The senior bird keeper has spent the past few years tending to more than 50 penguins inside Melbourne's Sea Life Aquarium. But caring for her feathered friends is more than a job.

"No one in the world has seen me cry as much as my co-workers because I care about those birds too much," Nicola, 33, tells Woman's Day. "We love them!

"Particularly through the pandemic, I spent more time with these birds than I did with my family and friends. They became my family!"