Calls for London Aquarium penguins to be released

The penguins arrived in May 2011 from Edinburgh Zoo

Animal welfare campaigners have called for the release of 15 penguins "trapped in a basement without sunlight or fresh air" in a demonstration held at the London Aquarium.

Organised by Freedom For Animals with support from Born Free and The Express newspaper, between 250 and 300 people protested against the captivity of 15 gentoo penguins at the riverside attraction in Westminster.

The aquarium, owned by Merlin Entertainments, opened its first penguin exhibit in May 2011, introducing 10 gentoo penguins from Edinburgh Zoo.

A spokesperson for the Sea Life London Aquarium said the penguins' habitat was "designed with help and advice from specialist vets".

'Idiotic'

The penguins "have now endured 14 years in a basement" equipped with a pool of only six to seven feet (1.8-2.1m) deep, according to campaigners.

Former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey dared the new Merlin Entertainments chief executive Fiona Eastwood to "swap places with the penguins".

He said: "In fact, if she's prepared to actually spend a month down there with those penguins, I will donate £1,000 of my money to a charity of her choosing.

"There is no reason that they should be benefiting at all from imprisoning 15 birds in the basement of an old council building."

"It's idiotic. It's a nonsense, and it's got to stop," Sharkey added.

Sea Life aquariums contain more than 30,000 sea creatures across the UK

Merlin Entertainments is co-run by Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Kirkbi, the investment arm of the Lego family.

The British theme park giant owns a wide range of attractions across the UK, including Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Madame Tussauds, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures.

A spokesperson said the enclosure "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".

Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham CBE, who was also at the protest, rejected the venue's claims and called it "a blight on the reputation of London's attractions".

"I could get some specialist architects to build you and me a house in an asbestos factory - we wouldn't want to live in it, would we?" Packham said.

Freedom For Animals launched its Free The Fifteen campaign in January 2024, arguing that since gentoo penguins are not classified as an endangered species, there is no justification for breeding and keeping them in captivity.

As of this year's stocktake, Sea Life aquariums counted more than 30,000 sea creatures across 11 centres in the UK.