One of the first places you will visit at Marwell is Penguin World.
Our Humboldt penguins are housed in a naturalistic enclosure with a rocky outcrop containing nesting tunnels, a stoney beach area and large pool. There are also trees and shrubs offering shade and privacy. Our penguins are kept as a large colony, which is natural for this sociable bird species and which helps to provide social stimulation and security.
Our captive penguins are not able to catch live fish so in order to enrich their environment, and mimic what occurs in the wild we’ve developed a floating fish feeder. This is basically an upturned plastic bottle, peppered with holes which contains fish and bobs around in the water. The penguins are challenged to dive and extricate the fish through the holes.
Look out for reflective devices like old CDs or small mirrors above the surface of the pool, which are positioned to reflect sunlight onto the water. They imitate the appearance of fish swimming around and prompt the penguins to investigate.
Underwater windows provide thrilling and entertaining views of the penguins as they “fly” through the water. Don’t miss our daily penguin feed which takes place mid afternoon and is typically a raucous affair.
