Visitors view penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium (Image: Daily Express)
Campaigners and MPs have insisted “we will not stop” until 15 penguins held “captive” in an aquarium’s basement enclosure without fresh air and daylight are moved.
Twenty six high profile campaigners, including Chris Packham, and 22 MPs have demanded that Sea Life London Aquarium move the 15 gentoos.
Britons are being encouraged to sign a demanding their release on international penguin awareness day on Monday.
Mr Packham said: “Our beautiful biodiversity cannot be celebrated by viewing birds in a basement. This isn’t education- it’s exploitation.
“I urge Merlin Entertainments to free the penguins from their basement enclosure with no natural light or fresh air.”
Lib Dem MP Danny Chambers and Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay are among those highlighting the penguins’ plight in Parliament.
Mr Chambers, a vet who has started a Commons Early Day Motion, said: “It’s International penguin awareness day but so many people are not aware that penguins need a huge amount of space to carry out their natural behaviours like diving and swimming. Living in cramped conditions with no natural light is cruel – this is a black and white issue.”
Penguin at Sea Life London Aquarium’s “basement” enlosure (Image: Daily Express)
The penguins are kept in an enclosure with up to seven feet of water depth in which to dive.
This is especially shocking – the campaigners point out – as gentoo penguins can dive up to 600 feet in the wild.
Mr Ramsay MP said: “While we pride ourselves on being a nation of animal lovers, animal exploitation still happens across the UK; the case of 15 Gentoo penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium, illustrates this.
“These penguins are confined to an enclosure without natural light or fresh air, with just six to seven feet of water for diving.
“The appalling and unnatural conditions highlight the need for better animal protection regulations. I call on London Aquarium to end this scandal and I will continue to work with MPs across the House to press for better legal protections for animals.”
The international conservation charity Born Free has on Monday joined the growing calls for the penguins to be moved to a “suitable” environment.
They are supporting a encouraging Sea Life London Aquarium, which is owned by Merlin Entertainments, to move the animals.
Chris Lewis, captivity research manager at Born Free said: “A life in an aquarium is so far removed from that which a penguin would experience in the wild.
Visitors look at penguins inside Sea Life London Aquarium enclosure without daylight or fresh air (Image: Daily Express)
“These sociable, complex and characterful birds are openly described by the zoo industry as “commodities” for the entertainment of visitors.
“How is it possible 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 deemed suitable for their welfare?
“It serves no conservation purpose and the only educational message it conveys to visitors and the public is that these penguins should not be kept in captivity.”
Dr Andrew Kelly, of Freedom for Animals, added: “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.”
Campaigners are demanding the colony of gentoo penguins be moved (Image: Daily Express)
A Sea Life London Aquarium spokeswoman said: “The welfare of all the animals in our care is of paramount importance to us at Sea Life and we are committed to delivering the highest levels of care through our team of dedicated welfare experts, both internal and external.
“Sea Life conforms to all requirements under the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice by providing the relevant zoo licensing authorities with access to its animal records.
“This is in addition to regular visits including zoo licence inspections by these local authorities, alongside additional external inspectors and independent vets, who monitor animal welfare and data on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so.
“Sea Life London Aquarium also carries out its own regular health checks on all the animals in its care, while an independent specialist vet also visits every two months for routine assessments, and can also be contacted daily with any other concerns.
Penguins staring at a wall inside Sea Life London Aquarium (Image: Freedom for Animals)
“The Gentoo penguin habitat at Sea Life London Aquarium was designed with help and advice from specialist vets. It provides an excellent balance of water and land for the penguins which enables them to express their normal behaviours and there is space for them to ensure they have sufficient privacy.
“As part of its overall mission, Sea Life London Aquarium provides an opportunity to share the wonders of the natural world in an accessible manner. With the opportunity to educate more than a million people who visit Sea Life London Aquarium from all around the globe each year to care for the world’s oceans and the marine life within it, we believe this is a hugely positive thing.”
To sign the petition to move the penguins,