Demand that Sea Life Release their Gentoo Penguins

Sea Life London Aquarium currently has a colony of 15 gentoo penguins who are housed in a basement.

Many of these animals have been there for their entire lives and, without compassionate intervention to secure their release, they may never see the light of day. Gentoo penguins are the strongest swimmers and the deepest divers of all birds, yet their enclosure offers just 6-7 feet of depth in which to dive - a pitiful fraction of the 600ft they can dive to in the wild.

They are a small colony, in a tiny enclosure, that does not meet their physical and social needs and does not allow them to enjoy their natural behaviours. Added to this, the constant public observation and noise has the capacity to cause serious stress and adverse health effects.

The breeding programmes that Sea Life is undertaking with this species is very clearly not motivated by conservation, but simply to provide generations of unconsenting exhibits for an exploitative attraction. It is clear the incarceration and breeding of penguins, a species beloved by many, for no other reason than profiting from their exhibition, is not something in which a modern and progressive business should be engaged.

We ask that Merlin Entertainments immediately ends all penguin breeding programmes, permanently stops the exhibition of penguins, and guarantees 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. This should be a genuine sanctuary independently operated by a recognised and respected welfare and conservation organisation. We encourage Merlin to provide funding to facilitate the retirement and lifetime care of the penguins.