During the COVID-19 lockdown, it has been quiet for the gentoo penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium and they need to get used to people again.
Sea Life London Aquarium is helping its penguins prepare for their first human visitors since lockdown restrictions started in London. With the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions that started a month ago, the penguins have missed the steady flow of visitors. They now have to be gradually introduced to humans again and what better way than with Christmas movies?
Sea Life London Aquarium Puts On A Festive Show
Now that the month-long lockdown is almost over, the London aquarium is helping its gentoo penguins prepare for their first human visitors, as the aquarium reopens. With the restrictions in place, the cute birds in their smart tuxedos had gotten used to the quiet. This is now coming to an end, so something had to be done in preparation.
Speaking to the Press Association, aquarist Leah Pettitt said that 2020 had presented them with “more challenges than most” in keeping the penguins entertained. The team tasked with caring for the penguins came up with a number of creative ways to assist with the penguins’ sensory enrichment.
Located in South Bank, the aquarium is home to more than 500 species of marine creatures, from sharks to moray eels. Pettitt said that even under normal circumstances, they are always looking for new and innovative ways to keep their creatures entertained and engaged. This is part of their enrichment process, which is needed even more now, after the lockdown.
Penguins At The Movies
Aquarium experts came up with the plan to present the penguins with a series of Christmas movies. This week, the penguins gathered around to watch the Christmas film “Elf” prior to the reopening on Wednesday. Along with this movie, the Sea Life team played a number of classic Christmas movies on a giant screen outside the penguin enclosure.
This aquarium wasn’t alone, as screenings were held at other Sea Life aquariums throughout the UK. Aquarium staff found the penguins responded positively to the pictures and sounds of the festive films. However, apparently “Elf” was their top-ten favorite movie of the bunch. Leah said, “It’s great to see how much our gentoo penguins are enjoying the Christmas movies we’ve put on for them.”
About Gentoo Penguins
Gentoo penguins are said to be the third-largest species of penguin and also the fastest. They are known to be very playful. Gentoo penguins are also monogamous, with two penguins pairing for a few breeding seasons and equally sharing responsibility for raising their family.
To make them feel at home during the winter months, aquarists at Sea Life set the temperature and lights in the penguins’ enclosure to match the sunrise and sunset cycle of the southern hemisphere, where the gentoo are almost exclusively found. This variation in temperature and light cycles was designed to encourage the penguins’ natural seasonal behavior.
London Aquarium has been screening Christmas films for its gentoo #penguins ahead of its reopening this week.
TVs showing the Xmas film Elf have been placed outside the penguin enclosure to prepare them for guests returning after being closed during lockdown #AnimalNews pic.twitter.com/gsDbPAiNud
— Animal News Network (@Animal_Newsdesk) December 3, 2020
Other Sea Life Projects
Sea Life Trust is the aquariums’ marine conservation charity partner. The trust recently set up the first beluga whale sanctuary in the world. The groundbreaking project is located in Iceland and is home to Little Grey and Little White, two 12-year-old female belugas. The whales are now living their lives in the open water after having been removed from captivity in Shanghai.
In the meantime, anyone visiting the gentoo penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium should maybe wear a Santa hat as a nod to the penguins’ recent Christmas entertainment.
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