Just wanted to ask for any zoo's that have different Penguin Species than Humboldt Penguins. Are there any King Penguins in the UK? What about Fairy/Little Penguins? or Magellanic Penguins? Bascially, a run down of Penguin species in the UK and where they are?
king penguins at Edinburgh zoo and Birdland, also Whipsnade have some other species (cant rememember them tho)
Can't give a complete list, but I will do my best to name what I know (I'll include Humboldts for anybody else that may be interested) Humboldts: Chester Zoo Twycross Zoo Blair Drummond Safari Park Welsh Mountain Zoo (Many others, though can't remember) Kings: Edinburgh Gentoos: Edinburgh Northern Rockhoppers: Edinburgh Magellanic: Blackpool Macaroni: Twycross Obviously that isn't a complete list, but hope it helps a little (there are also one or two more with Kings, but not sure which ones)
I don't know about the rest but only a few zoos anywhere outside of Australia/New Zealand have Little Penguins. Only one of those collections is in Europe and not in the UK, the rest are in Asia or the USA. I'm sure some UK zoos have African or Magellanic Penguins though...
Living Coasts African Macaroni (5 just arrived from Twycross so they may not have any there now) Whipsnade Humboldt Rockhopper Newquay Humboldt
There were once little penguins at Bristol in the Seal and Penguin coast enclosure (circa 2008ish?) I never saw them. I heard that all but one died, I don't know if that one remains though. I think not.
Flamingo Land have Humboldt/Peruvian penguins and are currently building a new exhibit. There's a picture in the gallery.
Birdworld, Marwell, Chester, Whipsnade and Chessington and most zoo's have Humboldt's if they have Penguins. It's interesting that Edinburgh have King, Northern Rockhoppers and Gentoo Penguins. Didn't Marwell have something different in their Penguin pool before the Humboldts? I can't remember what, but I remember it ended badly.
The last animal moved to Wuppertal Zoo in Germany, where it met up with the remains of the larger group from Cologne. Wuppertal is currently the only European zoo to keep Eudyptula minor.
Fairly sure that Belfast also have gentoos and Whipsnade did for a while but not sure if they have anymore?
when i last went to whipsnade in May there were no longer Gentoos there and there seemed to be very few rockhoppers, which is a shame as they are one of my favs.
please feel free to correct any of the following: ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS (1) Edinburgh - small colony of about 20, they breed regularly but often with gaps of multiple years. (2) Whipsnade - Formerly a small breeding group which produced chicks annually for the last 4 or 5 years. Numbers leaving seemed to coincide with rockhoppers arriving at Regents Park. Now down to a breeding pair plus last years chick according to ISIS. (3) London - Since 2006/7, they have kept between 1 and 4 of these birds. I strongly suspect they were young Whipsnade-bred birds. They appear to be down to just one again. If the hotwire around the enclosure is anything to go by, I would suggest foxes are a problem at this site. (4) Drusillas - Surprising species for this zoo, one pair remain from six birds that arrived in 1992. I think just one chick was reared since then, possibly one of the remaining pair. (5) Belfast - This is the nominate subspecies whereas ISIS list all other rockhoppers in the UK as of the Northern subspecies. Small group, I think the remainder of birds arriving in 1991/92. Very possibly from eggs collected in an expedition to South Georgia in 1991 (which provided Belfast with its King Penguins at the time), although I'm not 100%. Other forum members suggest eggs have been produced but no chicks reared. MACARONI PENGUINS (1) Living Coasts - small breeding colony, just over 20 birds, breed annually. (2) Twycross - small group, one chick reared last year, possibly their first for this species? Although, it sounds as if they have sent their group to join the one at Living Coasts? GENTOO PENGUINS (1) Edinburgh - world's largest captive group, over 150, breed prolifically each year (approx 50 chicks annually) (2) Belfast - small group, I believe chicks were reared last year? Breed sporadically. KING PENGUINS (1) Birdland - Now the UK's largest group at 17 according to ISIS, breed regularly but not annually. (2) Edinburgh - small declining colony of 11 birds, first chick for several years reared last year. MAGELLANIC PENGUINS (1) Blackpool - new group imported last year from sister park in Spain. Last year Bristol stopped keeping little blue penguins having failed to establish a group, or later, a (same-sex) pair, while Magellanic Penguins returned to the UK having previously been kept at Belfast. Also in 2008 Whipsnade had attempted to establish a small group of Gentoo penguins but these either died or were sent away very quickly. Bristol and living coasts both gave up their gentoo penguins in recent years (the gentoo still features on the logo for 'Seal and Penguin Coasts' at Bristol), it would appear this species does not fare well in Southern Britain. Blackpool also kept gentoos until the 90s but I'm not sure how well they did with them or reasons why if they struggled with them. All other UK collections to my knowledge hold African or Humboldt penguins, both of which tend to breed very well and are numerous across UK holdings.
Although I haven't seen this exhibit since its opening, I believe the gentoos are no longer held at Bristol, and ISIS would reflect this. I am sure I read something about them leaving several years ago.
