Campaign calls for release of penguins kept underground
Born Free joins Freedom for Animals in calling for the removal of 15 gentoo penguins currently housed belowground at Sea Life, London.
Gentoo penguins at Sea Life London (c) Daily Express
Born Free is calling for the release of 15 gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) currently held in an underground enclosure beneath the UK’s capital at Sea Life London, and their transfer to a facility that can provide a much more suitable environment.
Native to the Antarctic Circle and its surrounding regions, gentoo penguins are strong swimmers who can dive to 600ft and reach speeds up to 22mph in the wild. However, at Sea Life their pool is just 6-7ft in depth, and their enclosure is barren and completely devoid of natural light.
The zoo claims that the habitat was created following the advice of specialist vets. However, the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, which British zoos are assessed against, stipulates that “Animals should be allowed the opportunity to express most normal behaviour” and “Accommodation must take account of the natural habitat of the species and seek to meet the physiological and psychological needs of the animal”. This raises serious concerns as to how the enclosure has been deemed to be compliant.
Although the birds are part of a European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex-Situ Programme (EEP), there is no discernible conservation benefit for keeping and breeding the species in captivity. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List currently classifies the species as ‘Least Concern’, the lowest conservation threat status, with a ‘Stable’ wild population.
The zoo community claims that the keeping and breeding of gentoo penguins is justified for ‘Education’ and ‘Fundraising’ purposes. EAZA states that messages about “the impact of plastics and how tourists should behave in a wild penguin habitat are essential to contradict the sustainability messages at the environmental cost of keeping [captive wild animals] ex situ in a cooled environment.” However, the keeping of these birds in such a climatically controlled and intensive environment is likely to come at a substantial and unnecessary environmental cost. Even more concerning, EAZA also tries to justify the keeping of penguins by describing them as “a very attractive species (active swimmer) that visitors like to see.”
Chris Lewis, Captivity Research Manager at Born Free said, “A life in an aquarium is far removed from that which a penguin would experience in the wild. Even regional zoo associations such as EAZA openly describe them as commodities for the entertainment of visitors. How can those charged with enforcing zoo legislation in this country deem that such an unnatural, artificial environment, which deprives these birds access to natural light and seawater, and clearly prevents them from expressing their natural behaviours, is suitable for their welfare? The only educational message it conveys to visitors and the wider public is that these penguins should not be kept in captivity.”
Dr. Andrew Kelly, Director at Freedom for Animals said, “This Penguin Awareness Day it is vital that we take the opportunity to shine a light on the important campaign to free the Sea Life London gentoo penguins from their basement enclosure. Almost a year since we first launched this campaign, Sea Life is continuing to ignore the plight of the penguins it holds captive with no daylight or fresh air. These animals deserve better, and we would like to take the opportunity to thank the Born Free Foundation for coming on board to support our work to win a better future for these innocent penguins.”
Born Free, alongside Freedom for Animals, is calling on Merlin Entertainments, who operate Sea Life London, to immediately end all penguin breeding programmes, permanently stop the exhibition of penguins, and guarantee the safe and permanent retirement of the penguins at the London Sea Life Aquarium to a facility that can provide a much more suitable environment.