Seven of the 18 penguin species are held in captivity at 46 zoos and aquariums across the UK. But questionable living conditions and excess deaths are raising questions about the true purpose of captivity.

Map: HG via Google My Maps. It shows the 46 locations in the UK where Penguins are held in Captivity. Note: Button in top left opens map key.

Of the species kept in the UK, only the African Penguin is critically endangered.

The Northern Rockhopper is endangered, whilst Humboldt and Macaroni Penguins are ‘vulnerable’, which means their numbers in the wild are decreasing.

The others  —  Gentoo, Magellanic, King and Little  —  are all of least concern, meaning numbers in the wild are stable.

Infographic: HG via Flourish. Chart shows each penguin species that is held in captivity in the UK, its IUCN status, and how many facilities hold that species. Note: Some facilities hold more than one species so the total number is more than the 46 facilities.

Excess deaths

Licensed zoos in the UK must legally provide captive animals with conditions that meet their physical, psychological, and social needs.

Despite this, a recent Freedom for Animals campaign has highlighted the terrible conditions that SEA LIFE is keeping its Gentoo Penguins in.

Similarly, the Aspinall Foundation has published research that showed that many UK zoos were breaching basic animal welfare standards.

What started as an enterprise of Western colonialism and conquest — menageries displaying the exotic — is now harder to sell.

Image: Wikimedia Commons. Robertson Royal Menagerie, 9 The Strand, London, c. 1820

Zoos didn’t begin under the guise of conservation. It was about control and capitalist profits. They exhibited exotic fauna and made money in the process.

Now, zoos still have profit motives, but they also have a conservation narrative woven effectively into their publicity campaigns.

For example, the Gentoo Penguins held at SEA LIFE are of ‘least concern’, as numbers in the wild are stable. However, SEA LIFE claim its colonies:

Act as crucial ambassadors for threatened penguin species in the wild.

It claims captivity is about conservation and education. However, this appears to be coming at a cost, and some facilities are putting their animals at needless risk in unsuitable living conditions.

The Canary recently revealed excess deaths at Birdland, including 13 critically endangered African Penguins, which were moved there when Bristol Zoo closed in 2022. Compared to other facilities that hold African Penguins, this was excessively high.

Stocklists obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show that all of Bristol’s penguins died at Birdland. This means they survived less than 6 months at their new home.

Even now, Birdland staff have been elusive with the public about the birds’ whereabouts.

African Penguin informational video. Some stock videos used. From Adobe Stock, under (paid membership, enhanced license - includes commercial and social media.) 1 - Jean van der Meulen, 2 - Andreas, 3 - GoPro. Other clips: HG.

In the same year at Birdworld, there were only three deaths in a colony of 52. Similarly, Whipsnade zoo experienced six deaths out of 47, along with one birth and acquiring the second half of Bristol’s colony (17). Finally, at Natureland in Skegness, there were four deaths, two of which were chicks.

Infographic: HG via Flourish. The chart shows the locations in the UK where African penguins are held for which we were able to obtain stocklists. Note: We were not able to obtain stocklists for Banham Zoo or Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park and are therefore not included. Birdworld did have a population of African Penguins in 2021; however, we were not able to obtain a stocklist for that year to confirm precise numbers, and so numbers are not illustrated on the graph. From a previous stocklist, we know the zoo had 41 African Penguins in 2018. Figures for 2025 show only the number of African Penguins each facility held at the start of the year, since stocklists for the year are not yet available.

Experts at both Freedom for Animals and the Born Free Foundation have suggested that something in the environment at Birdland is causing excess deaths.

Image: HG. Two African Penguins at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Captivity-induced diseases

Penguins International emphasises that there are benefits to keeping penguins in captivity. It allows scientists to learn about their life cycles, biology, and how the climate crisis impacts them.

However, keeping them in captivity introduces new problems. Penguins are not well adapted to a sedentary lifestyle, and captivity also exposes them to new diseases and infections that they otherwise would not be exposed to.

Video: HG via VideoScribe. Copyright-free.

Bumblefoot

The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity which rescues and protects wild animals from exploitation. It also conserves threatened species and their natural habitats.

Chris Lewis, Captivity Research & Policy Manager, pointed out that the enclosure floor at Birdland is predominantly concrete. This increases the risk of the birds suffering from bumblefoot, or pododermatitis. This is when the foot pads become infected due to pressure sores from inappropriate flooring. He said that concrete flooring “prioritises cleanliness” over optimal living conditions.

Unlike aspergillosis, wild penguins do get bumblefoot. However, that is due to human influence. As the climate crisis intensifies, wild penguins spend more time on damp, harsher surfaces — just like those in captivity.

Whilst not as bad as in 2022, the footage the Canary obtained recently still clearly shows unclean concrete.

Image: HG. Humboldt Penguins mixing with Seagulls at Flamingo Land Zoo in Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire.

Images: HG. Images show the concrete surface in Birdland’s penguin enclosure. They also show the dirt, mould and stick (foreign object). They show the differences between enclosure conditions in 2022 and 2025.

This video from 2021 shows the concrete in an even worse state.

Species-specific behaviour

In the wild, Humboldt penguins dive up to 150m deep and swim at speeds of 30km/h. They are known to travel up to 35km from their nests in search of food. Similarly, King Penguins dive up to 343m and travel up to 500km in search of fish. Obviously, that cannot be replicated in captivity.

Infographic: HG via Flourish. The graph shows the diving depths of each penguin species that is currently kept in captivity in the UK.

Lewis also pointed out some problems with the penguin pool at Birdland. Whilst it meets the current Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, he suggests that the pool will not meet the new standards, which come into force in May 2027. Section A5.1 states:

Ponds must be of sufficient size to ensure that the available surface area and volume provide for the specific welfare needs of all individuals of the species held within an enclosure. Allowing, where appropriate, swimming, diving, wading, and feeding or foraging according to species-specific behavioural and ecological needs.

The Canary contacted the company that designed the pool at Birdland, and it confirmed:

The pool at Birdland was approx 16.5m long x 3.6m and 1.2m deep.

Considering that King Penguins reach up to 1m tall, Birdland’s pool does not appear to meet this requirement.

Video: HG. Footage from Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water in July 2025.

Numerous studies on animal welfare have suggested that limiting species’ natural behaviour is a significant source of stress in captivity, which in turn can lead to further health complications.

‘Breaching the Animal Welfare Act’

Footage obtained recently shows baby Humboldt Penguins segregated from the rest of the colony, clearly in distress, without food or water.

Video: HG. Footage from Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water in July 2025.

When shown the footage, Lewis said:

The conditions provided within the footage of Birdland raise serious questions as to whether legal requirements are being met.

They are demonstrating clear signs of distress by attempting to jump through/over the bars and repeatedly pacing up and down the side of the pens. They also appear to have no water or shelter, thus indicating potential breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Finally, at Birdland, the public can get within touching distance of the penguins, which raises questions about both the safety of the birds in terms of disease transmission and the safety of the public should the birds bite. The current Modern Standards of Zoo practice states:

Barriers around pools and land areas should take this into account.

Birdland did not respond to the allegations by the time of publication.

Both Cotswold District Council, the local authority responsible for inspecting Birdland, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), said they are investigating the allegations.

‘Poor hygiene’

Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire is home to a colony of Humboldt Penguins.

Image: HG. Humboldt Penguins mixing with Seagulls at Flamingo Land Zoo in Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire.

The latest inspection report noted the penguins had high mortality rates, along with:

Poor levels of hygiene in part due to design and maintenance of the facility.

The inspector gave them three months to implement a mortality review of the last ten years, and six months to improve the penguins’ living conditions or rehome them.

Through FOI requests to North Yorkshire County Council, the Canary obtained a copy of the mortality review. It was undertaken by the veterinary team at Flamingo Land, which included an approved veterinary surgeon.

It painted a shocking picture. In a decade, Flamingo Land lost 149 penguins. Chicks made up the majority of these deaths (92), with mortality rates soaring to chronic levels over 81%.

Image: HG. Baby Humboldt Penguin at Flamingo Land Zoo in December 2021. Image also shows dead fish and mud.

Atrociously, the park had failed to keep post-mortem records for the majority of its penguin deaths in 2015 and 2016. However, the review identified an overall pattern of primary causes of death. These included infectious diseases like avian malaria, aspergillosis, and necrotising gastroenteritis.

It also listed trauma and “foreign material ingestion” as leading causes, the latter of which involved consuming grass, twigs, sticks, and in one instance, even a “metal” object.

‘Systemic and environmental contributors’

Amid the litany of damning findings, the review highlighted some extremely worrying causal factors. Among them were damp nest boxes with poor ventilation, rodent infestations in nesting rooms, and standing water, creating the conditions for disease to proliferate.

Image: HG. Humboldt Penguins at Flamingo Land Zoo in December 2021.

It also pointed to the poor, unvaried diet Flamingo Land was providing the penguins, which had triggered nutritional imbalances. Other problems with hygiene and water monitoring provided “implausible” results. It also noted how the enclosure’s unclean substrate had led to penguins swallowing foreign materials, which ultimately led to a number of deaths.

The review concluded that there were:

Systemic and environmental contributors to Humboldt penguin mortality over the last decade

‘It is a much easier life for them’

A Flamingo Land staff member told the Canary:

They almost always get up into their twenties, which for penguins is quite fortunate. In the wild, they get to 15 or 20 if they’re lucky. But we have had some individuals get to 27, 28 years old, because it is a much easier life for them. They’ve always got enough food, nothing is trying to eat them, and we do have permanent vets on site.

He then reiterated:

The penguins almost always get to quite a ripe old age here, providing they do survive their first few months. Now chicks is always a higher mortality.

Given the inspection report and the mortality review the Canary obtained, this may not be accurate.

When questioned specifically about preventing aspergillosis and similar infections that may come from the environment, he said:

Every time we’re going into a new enclosure we are cleaning our hands, we’re getting a fresh pair of gloves, we are making sure that anything that we’ve got with us isn’t coming from one bird enclosure to another because then if we do unfortunately have an outbreak of something in one enclosure we’re not spreading it to absolutely everything else.

However, as Chris Lewis of the Born Free Foundation pointed out, no amount of hand cleaning, gloves, or cross-contamination will prevent the infection if the enclosures contain mould, damp, or dirt.

Finally, the Canary raised the question of protecting the birds from Bird flu:

Video: HG. Interview and footage taken at Flamingo Land Zoo in North Yorkshire, July 2022.

In an official response to both the mortality review and the interview, an Executive at Flamingo Land said:

Allegations about lying are a serious comment to make and can have serious consequences. For the record we refute this.

We do not recognise the document you are referring to. We would advise caution in referring to this in any publication you may make.

At the time of publication, North Yorkshire County Council — the local authority responsible for both inspecting and licensing Flamingo Land — had not responded to the allegations.

Is conservation working?

The benefits to modern zoo keeping  — whether it’s educational, academic, or conservation  —  are not really playing out for the animals. Lewis, said:

What you have to assess is what benefit the species gains from being kept in captivity?

Genuine conservation efforts would be tackling those threats in the wild so that they are either reduced or eliminated.

Image: © [Svitlana] / Adobe Stock. Humboldt Penguin swimming in the wild in South America

Lewis would also question whether seeing a penguin in a zoo brings any educational benefit. Whilst there is “no question” that people like penguins, does seeing them in an artificial environment really lead to “meaningful behaviour change”? He added:

Keeping species in zoos is almost a distraction. It lures people into a false sense of security that these species are fine because they’re in a zoo, they’re being protected.

Ultimately, zoos are places of entertainment

Addressing the issues which threaten these species in the wild is real conservation.

Image: HG. African Penguins at Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skegness in May 2022.

The attitude of conquest has been transformed into liberal preservation, but ultimately is failing its own standards. Money still talks, and zoos are limited in how altruistic they can actually be for animals. Profit is being placed above the welfare of animals — and will reform ever happen in an inherently exploitative system?

Should animals be kept in zoos and aquariums in the UK?

— HG (@wordsbyHG) August 12, 2025

Isobel McNally, Campaigns Officer at Freedom for Animals, said:

Zoos have been around for hundreds of years now, and the animals that are being kept in zoos, so-called conservation programmes, are not being released to the wild; the wild populations aren’t recovering as a result of what zoos are doing.

Real conservation happens in the wild; it’s in the form of protected areas where fishing isn’t allowed, for example, in the case of penguins. Penguins are struggling to access food because of overfishing in the areas that they are trying to hunt, so you can help penguins by protecting them from having their food resources depleted.

Feature image –  Flamingo Land — © [2025] Google, Map Data © [2023] [Google Earth]”, other images: HG.

By HG

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