Chinese deer and ram celebrate Valentine's wedding

A Chinese zoo held a Valentine's Day wedding for a male sheep and a female deer whose unconventional relationship has captured the public imagination, state media reported.

Visitors have flooded to the wildlife park in the southwestern province of Yunnan to see the sheep, whose Chinese nameChangmao means long hair, and the deer, Chunzi (pure), after zookeepers revealed online that the pair had begun mating.

On Tuesday, they flocked to the zoo again to see the two unlikely lovers unite in a ceremony carefully choreographed by their keepers, the state-run China News Service said in a photo report.

Photos posted online showed Chunzi trotting under a man-made arch that carried the words "I do" in Chinese, with Changmao following closely behind, as spectators stood behind a railing with cameras ready.

Another photo shows the sheep puckering its lips for what looks like a kiss, while the deer looks on with an undecided look on its face.