Sea Life Centre criticised for penguins living condition whilst “Monty” prepares to mate
By Alexandra Pitts (December 2014)
Thousands of people have signed a petition against the Sea Life Centre over the conditions of the Gentoo Penguins within their sanctuary in London.The petition was started by video blogger Lex Croucher who witnessed these conditions during a trip to the centre back in April.
It calls for the protection and removal of the penguins within the London Sea Life Centre who are described by Lex as living in “extremely cruel” conditions.
"They're underground, their enclosure is obviously far too small, they all looked very depressed and one of them was repeating the same behaviour over and over again the entire time I watched them.
“I was actually in tears because I was so horrified by the living conditions of the penguins at the Sea Life London Aquarium when I visited.”
Penguins are used to large open spaces and can swim hundreds of miles a day. They can dive up to 525ft in one swim, and spend most of their time in large colonies.
Lex also stated; "Their living space is the equivalent of forcing a human being to live out their entire life in a bathroom with no windows - it's extremely cruel and I can't believe it's happening in London right underneath our feet. “
Adult penguins can also make as many as 450 dives per day finding food for themselves and their families, and as Croucher explains, the penguins she witnessed within the aquarium would repeat laps and dives in the tiny environment.
"With the success of Monty the Penguin in the recent John Lewis advert, this country has demonstrated how much we love penguins - now it's time to stop the suffering of the real penguins of London”, explains Croucher.
The Sea Life Centre is known for its good work to help the preservation of sea life animals including Gentoo Penguins, but with over 80,000 signatures on this online petition, it is crucial that they change the way they are taking care of the animals.
The charity Born Free specializes in its arguments against animals in captivity. In March when the Gentoo exhibit opened, Born Free examined the exhibit and concluded that it is not fit for the penguins at all.
“We don’t agree with animals being in captivity at all, but with this exhibit it is particularly heartbreaking as the penguins do not receive any natural sunlight, not enough space, and the water for the penguins to swim in is not deep enough either.”
Birmingham and London Sea Life Centre are just two of the several centres around the country owned by Merlin Entertainment. Both centres adopted the Gentoo Penguins back in March this year, with London currently owning 9 and Birmingham 11.
Now that the Sea Life Centre Birmingham is breeding, it is vital that the centres work harder to ensure the happiness and provide the best care for the penguins as possible.
The London Sea Life Centre stated:
"The enclosure is perfectly suited for the number of penguins we currently have, both in terms of its size and the associated welfare.
"The local authorities have made specific visits on more than one occasion and are more than happy with this space. The birds are in very good health and the size specifications of this enclosure actually exceed the worldwide recommendations.”
You can find the petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/sea-life-london-aquarium-save-the-sea-life-london-aquarium-penguins
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