Sea Life to Relocate Gentoo Penguins to New Enclosure With Daylight

Merlin Entertainments announced on Friday that it will relocate 14 gentoo penguins from Sea Life London and 17 from Sea Life Birmingham to a new enclosure featuring natural light and increased water space. The current London enclosure is an indoor basement facility without access to fresh air or daylight. The penguins arrived at Sea Life London in May 2011 from Edinburgh Zoo.

Entertainments stated the new facility will be designed with input from a wild penguin researcher and will function as a conservation research centre of excellence. Full details, including location, are expected in September. The company also said it will stop breeding gentoo penguins at both the London and Birmingham centres.

Walton, co-director of Freedom for Animals, said the proposed measures would make a material difference to the lives of the penguins while noting that improved conditions cannot resolve the ethical issue of captivity. Merlin Entertainments said the decision followed months of work with Freedom for Animals, the Born Free Foundation, PETA, a wild penguin researcher, a veterinarian, and BIAZA.