Marwell Zoo’s penguin colony ‘on holiday’ during habitat renovations

Marwell Zoo’s colony of endangered Humboldt penguins are enjoying a ‘holiday’ while their home at Penguin Cove undergoes essential renovations.

The 13 penguins have settled into a specially designed temporary habitat, complete with a bespoke swimming pool next to their new neighbours – white rhinos, Grevy’s zebra and scimitar-horned oryx.

The renovations at Penguin Cove will help the keepers to make even more improvements to the penguins’ home, to further improve animal welfare and the guest experience. The bird team keepers plan to trial an advanced water flow system that creates variable-speed currents. This innovative system will provide a more dynamic underwater environment, and maintain good muscle development and overall fitness.

Marwell’s keepers and maintenance team worked closely to design and build the temporary habitat, incorporating features that support the penguins’ wellbeing. The area includes cobblestones to promote foot health, a custom-built ramp leading to an above-ground swimming pool complete with filtration system, high-velocity pump and UV system to maintain water quality and prevent disease. Familiar nesting tunnels have been included to provide comforting scents and surroundings.

Dan Garrick, Birds Team Leader, said: “The penguins have settled in really well to their temporary habitat while we carry out work at Penguin Cove, which will allow us to continue to improve welfare for our penguins at Marwell. We trained them to enter a holding area for a smooth transition, and our veterinary team carried out health checks. They were very calm throughout the move and were happily splashing in the pool within 10 minutes. The rhinos have wandered over to take a look, but the penguins didn’t seem fazed at all!”

The penguins are expected to return to Penguin Cove in approximately six weeks.