Dudley Zoo's Pingu celebrates 29th birthday
Dudley Zoo’s oldest penguin, Pingu, is today celebrating his 29th birthday and International Penguin Day.
Pingu, one of the oldest Humboldt penguins in the UK, is one of the five founding members of the breed’s colony at Dudley Zoo.
Birdkeeper Sarah Holt said: “We usually do a joint celebration for Pingu and World Penguin Day, highlighting the threats wild penguins face, whilst raising money for Sphenisco, which is a charity who work with wild penguins.
“Here at Dudley Zoo we have just over 70 Humboldt penguins, which is a species that comes from South America.
“We have got one of the best breeding colonies in the UK, and Pingu was one of the original founding members back in 1991.
“Some of his descendants still live with us, while others have moved to other collections as part of the breeding programme.
“We are just entering the 2020 breeding season, so fingers crossed there will be many more to come.”
Jon Ashfield, the zoo’s financial manager, said: “We normally use this weekend as an opportunity to educate our visitors about conservation work we do and how it helps penguins in the wild and donate some money to Sphenisco.
“It’s a shame that we’re not going to be able to do that this year, so we lose the opportunity to educate people and to raise money.
“Unlike a lot of other businesses that have been able to close and not worry about outgoing expenses, we have still got live animals that need feeding, still need exercising and still have veterinary needs.
“We have a JustGiving page and any donations would be greatly appreciated”.
To donate to the zoo's appeal to help cover running costs while it remains closed during the coronavirus crisis, visit its JustGiving page.
