Political pressure is mounting for the welfare of 15 gentoo penguins at the Sea Life London Aquarium, with around 75 MPs demanding release of trapped penguins that are kept without “sunlight or fresh air.”
MPs wrote an open letter to UK Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, citing the captivity of poor animals as “un-British” and urged for an immediate review to relocating the birds to a facility with adequate standards that meet their needs.
Labour MP David Taylor coordinated the campaign and argued that the penguins’ rights are being “traded for hard cash.”
The campaign has also gained support from high-profile figures.
Environmentalist Feargal Sharkey challenged the aquarium’s chief executive to “swap places with penguins,” while naturalist Christ Packham has called the aquarium a “blight on the reputation of London’s attractions.”
A public petition demanding action has gathered over 37,000 signatures.
But, Merlin Entertainments, the company owning the aquarium, has defended the conditions penguins keep it.
As per one spokesperson, the penguins’ located on the ground floor and is not actually a basement and is designed keeping in view the natural habitat of the birds providing climate control environment and filtered fresh air.
The company stated that the penguins at the aquarium have always lived in human care and can’t be safely released into the wild.
With the UK government stating its commitment to “the highest standards of animal welfare,” the dispute highlights the growing public and political scrutiny of how animals are kept in captivity for entertainment.