Game of Doubles for Kim Sears and Penguin Namesake
Easter looks like it will come early for tennis ace Andy Murray and his wife Kim Sears, due with their first baby in a few weeks. Joining them in the wait are the staff at St. Andrews Aquarium, whose penguin Kim - named after Kim Sears – is also expecting.
Kim, one of four Humboldt penguins at the Fife attraction named after Murray and his family, recently laid her first eggs and as Kim the penguin keeps her precious bundles warm, staff and visitors are playing their own game of doubles by wondering which will come first – the baby or the egg.
Losing the Australian Open to Serbian rival Novak Djokovic at the weekend, Andy called his wife Kim “a legend” for all her support and caught the next flight home to be with her. The Aquarium’s Murray family of penguins have become the stuff of legend too – or at least a few headlines.
They were named Andi, Kim, Judy and Shirley after Andy, his wife, his mother and his grandmother in a competition. Since then, Judy Murray has been to the aquarium to meet her “doppelganger”. The penguins were recently visited by newlyweds Graeme and Carrie-Anne Mackenzie on their wedding day after Graeme decided to surprise his new wife, a penguin lover.
John Mace, manager of St. Andrews Aquarium, commented:
“Like the rest of the country, we’re gutted about Andy’s loss in Australia. But we’re looking forward to some new bundles of joy here, and we can’t wait to see which of the Kims becomes a mum first. It gives a whole new meaning to a game of doubles. Easter could well come early for both of them. Watch this space!”