Protesters calling for the discharge of penguins “trapped in a basement” demonstrated outdoors a London attraction on Sunday, with musician turned eco-campaigner Feargal Sharkey throwing down the gauntlet to the corporate boss.
Between 250-300 animal welfare campaigners mentioned the 15 penguins are saved “in a windowless basement enclosure” on the Sea Life London Aquarium, with no daylight or out of doors entry.
The aquarium, owned by Merlin Entertainments, opened its first penguin exhibit in Might 2011.
The ten gentoo penguins launched from Edinburgh Zoo have “now endured 14 years in a basement”, with a pool of solely about seven toes deep (2.1m) during which to swim, in line with the campaigners that organised the protest.
Born Free says at the very least two of the birds have by no means seen the sky.
A spokesperson for the Sea Life London Aquarium mentioned on Sunday the penguins’ habitat was “designed with help and advice from specialist vets”.
The assertion added: “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.”
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Pic: Born Free/PA
Feargal Sharkey, former singer of The Undertones, now identified for his campaigning towards the water business, dared Merlin Entertainments’ new chief government Fiona Eastwood to “swap places with the penguins”.
“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,” Mr Sharkey mentioned.
“As we now know, some of them have been there for 14 years, in the basement of a former council building.
“It is a surprising indictment.”
He added: “There isn’t a cause that they need to be benefiting in any respect from imprisoning 15 birds within the basement of an previous council constructing.
“It’s idiotic. It’s a nonsense, and it’s got to stop.”
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Dale Vince, Chris Packham, Megan McCubbin and Feargal Sharkey (from L to R) attended the protest: Pic: PA
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Pic: Born Free/PA
Merlin Entertainments is co-run by Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Funding Board (CPPIB), and Kirkbi, the funding arm of the Lego household.
The British theme park firm owns a spread of theme parks and different points of interest throughout the UK, together with Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Madame Tussauds, Thorpe Park, and Chessington World of Adventures.
Gentoo penguins are supreme swimmers, the quickest swimming hen on this planet, in line with the charity Penguins Worldwide.
Within the wild, they’ll attain speeds of 22mph (35 kph).
Naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham mentioned he was there to protest the “injustice that’s been wrought upon 15 beautiful little gentoo penguins currently housed in the dingy basement of the building behind me.”
Megan McCubbin, fellow TV presenter and Chris Packham’s stepdaughter, mentioned gentoo penguins have been “one of the most amazing species that we have on our planet”.
She added: “And when you walk through [the basement] – and I’ve only been once and I will never go again – you can’t help but feel heartbroken about them.”
Sea Life London Aquarium additionally mentioned in its assertion it was “committed to supporting conservation causes globally” by way of its Breed, Rescue, Shield programme, which helps endangered species.
