Keeping Penguins 'trapped In A Basement' In Central London Is 'un-british', Mps Warn - Beritaja

MPs person joined a run calling for 15 penguins "trapped successful a basement without sunlight aliases caller air" successful cardinal London to beryllium released.

A group of 75 politicians has described their captivity astatine the Sea Life London Aquarium - a stone's propulsion from the Houses of Parliament - arsenic "un-British".

The aquarium, successful the County Hall building connected the South bank, other the London Eye, first launched its grounds of gentoo penguins successful May 2011, and campaigners are arguing they "have now endured 14 years" successful a mini abstraction pinch a excavation conscionable 2.1m (7ft) deep.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has been asked to "consider whether the penguins should beryllium relocated to a much suitable installation amended aligned pinch their behavioural, ecological and physiological needs".

David Taylor - the Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead - coordinated the missive and said the run "won't extremity until these penguins get the life they deserve".

He added: "No animal should unrecorded for illustration that, pinch their authorities appearing to beryllium traded for difficult cash."

Pressure has been building successful caller weeks connected Merlin Entertainments, the institution that owns the aquarium, arsenic good arsenic attractions including Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds.

Environmentalist Feargal Sharkey precocious challenged its main executive Fiona Eastwood to "swap places pinch the penguins", successful an "old assembly building", for a month.

"It's idiotic. It's a nonsense, and it's sewage to stop," he warned.

Meanwhile, naturalist Chris Packham - who attended a protestation extracurricular the aquarium past period - described it arsenic a "blight connected the estimation of London's attractions".

A petition launched by the Freedom for Animals run group has now received much than 37,000 signatures - pinch Born Free saying astatine slightest 2 of the birds person ne'er seen the sky.

But a spokesperson for Merlin's speech squad said the existent enclosure represents the penguins' earthy residence - and is connected the crushed level alternatively than the basement.

A connection added: "We cognize that galore group attraction profoundly about the gentoo penguins astatine Sea Life London Aquarium - we do too.

"We person an unthinkable squad of conservationists, animal use specialists, and aquarists who are pinch the penguins each day, making judge they're patient and thriving.

"And we don't do this unsocial - we activity pinch immoderate of the champion penguin experts successful the world, including vets and specialists successful penguin behaviour and residence design."

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Merlin went connected to opportunity that "Penguin Point" was built to replicate their earthy environment, pinch climate-controlled somesthesia and filtered caller air.

"These are things that can't easy beryllium replicated outdoors and releasing them into the chaotic simply isn't a safe action for these penguins, who person ever lived successful quality care."

The institution added that the penguins' attraction is simply a "complex issue" and each determination about their use is taken seriously.

"We're open. We're listening. And we've ever done what's correct for our animals based connected master proposal and their individual needs. That's a committedness we guidelines by."

A DEFRA spokesperson didn't reside the Sea Life London Aquarium specifically, but said: "This authorities is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare.

"We precocious launched an overhaul of use standards successful zoos to fortify protections and guarantee each animals - including gentoo penguins - are cared for successful statement pinch champion practice."