A group of MPs has called on Sea Life Aquarium to release 15 penguins living in ‘a basement with no daylight or fresh air’.
The Aquarium has been accused of the “un-British” captivity of the birds in a letter from ministers across the political spectrum who have called for an urgent review into their welfare.
The attraction, owned by Merlin Entertainments, opened its first penguin exhibit in May 2011, and campaigners say the animals have “now endured 14 years in a basement”.
In the letter to Emma Reynolds, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, the group of 75 MPs asked her to “consider whether the penguins should be relocated to a more suitable facility better aligned with their behavioural, ecological and physiological needs”.
A petition led by the charities Freedom for Animals and Born Free Foundation has also received nearly 38,000 signatures.
The campaign criticised the six to seven feet deep pool which is available to the gentoo penguins, who are among the “strongest swimmers” and the “deepest divers” of all birds, reaching up to 600 feet deep in the wild.
It said: “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.”
The campaign has already received the backing of musician-turned-environmentalist Feargal Sharkey, who challenged the new Merlin Entertainments chief executive Fiona Eastwood to “swap places with the penguins”.
The company is co-run by Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Kirkbi, the investment arm of the Lego family.
It owns a wide range of attractions across the UK, including Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Madame Tussauds, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures.
Yet its attraction at Sea Life has been accused of putting profit over the welfare of the 15 penguins.
‘Wild animals deserve to be free’
Isobel McNally, campaign manager at Animal Aid, said: “We are gravely concerned about the conditions to which Sea Life’s penguins are being subjected in the name of ‘entertainment’.
“Wild animals deserve to be free to live under the sky, feel the wind, and experience daylight – things that Sea Life London’s gentoo colony are denied.”
David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead and letter co-ordinator, said: “It’s un-British to keep penguins trapped in a basement with no daylight or fresh air.
“No animal should live like that, with their rights appearing to be traded for hard cash.
The gentoo penguin is the third largest species of penguin, after the Emperor and King penguins.
They are the fastest species, capable of reaching speeds of 22mph underwater, and eat fish, squid and shrimp in the wild.
A spokesman from the Merlin Entertainments’ conservation, welfare and education team said: “We have an incredible team of conservationists, animal welfare specialists, and aquarists who are with the penguins every day, making sure they’re healthy and thriving.
“And we don’t do this alone - we work with some of the best penguin experts in the world, including vets and specialists in penguin behaviour and habitat design.
“They helped us build Penguin Point which meets the high standards set by the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, and we continue to be assessed by independent organisations like Global Humane Society and the International Zoo Veterinary Group.
A Defra spokesman said: “This Government is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare.
“We recently launched an overhaul of welfare standards in zoos to strengthen protections and ensure all animals - including gentoo penguins - are cared for in line with best practice.”