Protest for the release of penguins at SeaLife makes national headlines
Yesterday, Protect the Wild joined hundreds gathered outside Sea Life London Aquarium to demand justice for the fifteen Gentoo penguins imprisoned beneath one of the capital’s busiest tourist attractions. The protest, led by the brilliant Freedom for Animals and supported by Born Free Foundation, Chris Packham, Dale Vince and Feargal Sharkey, sent a clear message: captivity is not conservation, and London will no longer look away.
It has been great to see the campaign covered by the BBC, ITV, Daily Express, Sky News, The Times and others!
A Dark Secret Beneath the Surface
These fifteen penguins, creatures adapted to the vast, icy waters of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, have spent years locked underground in a windowless basement. They have no sky, no wind, no fresh air, and no deep water to dive in. Their world is an illusion, with painted walls, artificial lighting, and an environment designed to trick the public into believing this is somehow acceptable.
Sea Life’s parent company, Merlin Entertainments, wants you to think this is education. But no classroom could ever justify cruelty.
The Protest that Pierced the Silence
The atmosphere outside Sea Life London was electric. Protestors lined the streets with banners reading “Free the Sea Life Fifteen”, their chants echoing across the South Bank. Chris Packham called it “a stain on our nation’s conscience.”
“This building was always unsuitable for these birds and they’ve got to be shifted out.” — Chris Packham
Feargal Sharkey made a bold challenge to Merlin’s leadership:
“In fact, if she’s prepared to actually spend a month down there with those penguins, I will donate £1,000 of my money to a charity of her choosing.” — Feargal Sharkey
He continued:
“As we now know, some of them have been there for 14 years, in the basement of a former council building. It’s a shocking indictment.”
“There is no reason that they should be benefiting at all from imprisoning 15 birds in the basement of an old council building. It’s idiotic. It’s a nonsense, and it’s got to stop.”
Merlin’s Excuses vs. Reality
Sea Life’s PR team continues to insist that their penguin habitat “was designed with help and advice from specialist vets” and that it “provides an excellent balance of water and land for the penguins, which enables them to express their normal behaviours, and there is space for them to ensure they have sufficient privacy.”
But the truth, the cold and claustrophobic truth, is that these penguins live in a tank just 115 m² in size and at most 2.1 m (7 ft) deep, according to campaigners reporting on the basement enclosure.
Gentoo penguins are built for speed and distance. In the wild they swim up to 35 km/h (22 mph) and dive to 200 metres, hunting across vast oceans.
In this basement the swim area is a shallow bath by comparison. Their instincts are frustrated. Their needs ignored. Their existence reduced to an attraction.
Captivity Is Not Conservation
This penguin prison is not about saving wildlife. It is about selling tickets. If Merlin truly cared about these animals, they would move the penguins to a recognised sanctuary, a place where they could live out the remainder of their lives in dignity and under proper welfare, not as performers in a basement.
As Freedom for Animals Co-Director Laura Walton said:
“They never get to look up at the sky or feel the wind on their faces. Instead, they’re surrounded by painted walls that mimic the wild home they’ll never see. Captivity is not conservation. How can we call ourselves a compassionate society when we allow such cruelty?”
What Happens Next
The protest was only the beginning. The world is now watching Merlin Entertainments, and no amount of marketing spin will drown out the truth.
Protect the Wild will continue to shine a light on the suffering of animals trapped in entertainment and tourism. These penguins may never know freedom in the wild, but they deserve freedom from exploitation.
Take Action
Demand that Merlin Entertainments end penguin captivity and relocate the Sea Life Fifteen to a suitable sanctuary by signing Freedom for Animals’ Petition.
Spread the word: email, tag, and call out Sea Life London on social media.
Support Freedom for Animals in this campaign.
Use the hashtag #FreeTheFifteen
My heart breaks once again reading this email. How can anyone think even for one second that this is acceptable. What is happening to humans? Where is their empathy, their compassion? their soul? I despair, I really do. All they think about is profits, money, money, money. I hope the penguins will soon be taken to a sanctuary where they can live as they were born to do.
I cannot understand for the life of me, why we feel the need to imprison these beautiful gentoo penguins, what is wrong with us, animals do not belong to us, we love them, we take care of them, we appreciate their beauty, they are creatures who need to be where they belong, IN THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT- THE SEA, we have to take appropriate actions to make sure they are freed, for the rest of their gentle lives, keep pushing for their freedom.