Animal rights activists are demanding the release of 15 penguins allegedly "trapped in a basement without sunlight or fresh air" at the Sea Life London Aquarium. The call to action has been backed by former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey, who challenged the company's CEO to switch places with the birds.
The 'Free The Fifteen' demonstration was organised by Freedom For Animals and supported by Born Free and The Express newspaper. Between 250 and 300 people gathered on Sunday morning to protest against the captivity of 15 gentoo penguins at the riverside attraction in Westminster, reports the PA news agency.
Merlin Entertainments, which owns the aquarium, opened its first penguin exhibit in May 2011.
The exhibit introduced 10 gentoo penguins from Edinburgh Zoo who have now, according to campaigners, "have now endured 14 years in a basement" with a pool only six to seven feet deep.
Feargal Sharkey, who has transitioned from musician to environmentalist, attended the protest. He accused the company of exploiting the birds for profit and dared Fiona Eastwood, the new CEO of Merlin Entertainments, to "swap places with the penguins". Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
"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," Mr Sharkey declared.
"As we now know, some of them have been there for 14 years, in the basement of a former council building.
"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," added Mr Sharkey.
Merlin Entertainments, co-managed by Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), and Kirkbi, the investment arm of the Lego family, owns a plethora of attractions across the UK, including Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Madame Tussauds, Thorpe Park, and Chessington World of Adventures.
A spokesperson for the Sea Life London Aquarium stated on Sunday that the penguins' habitat was "designed with help and advice from specialist vets," adding: "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."
However, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham CBE, who also attended the protest, dismissed the venue's claims, labelling it "a blight on the reputation of London's attractions".
"I could get some specialist architects to build you and me a house in an asbestos factory - we wouldn't want to live in it, would we? It's rubbish," said Packham.
"Do we really want that reputation tarnished by a greedy company that's keeping some birds in a basement for profit and with no conservation and/or other educational value?".
He continued: "We've learned sufficiently enough about their (the penguins') behavioural, physiological and ecological needs to know that if you're going to keep to these animals in captivity at all, you need a custom-built facility, and it's certainly not one that's in the bunker of a building underground, where they never see sunlight and they never get fresh air.
"It's not acceptable, they've got to move them."
Packham suggested the company possesses the financial resources to transfer the birds to a more appropriate facility in the UK, such as London or Edinburgh Zoos, which feature outdoor penguin enclosures.
"It would be a win-win-win: win for the penguins, win for the zoos who could afford to update their facilities further, and a win for Merlin because they could clear their conscience which is otherwise blighted by this hideous, hideous condition of these birds," Packham said.
Wildlife television presenter and author Megan McCubbin, who joined stepfather Packham at the demonstration, described gentoo penguins as "one of the most amazing species that we have on our planet.
"And they're trapped in what I can only describe as a horrible, dingy, dark basement," she said.
"And when you walk through - and I've only been once and I will never go again - you can't help but feel heartbroken about them.
"You can't put human emotions on animals because you don't understand what they're thinking or feeling, but sometimes when you look into an animal's eyes, you just know."
Sea Life London Aquarium stated in their response that they remained "committed to supporting conservation causes globally" through their Breed, Rescue, Protect programme, which centres on endangered species.
However, green energy industrialist Dale Vince, who was present at the protest, argued that expert conservationists now agree there is "no conservational value in zoos".
"And there's no conservation value in breeding penguins in this basement here," he added.
Freedom For Animals launched their Free The Fifteen campaign in January 2024.
The organisation contends that because gentoo penguins are not classified as an endangered species, there is no justification for breeding and keeping them in captivity.
They have also started a petition which has already attracted support from more than 13,000 people.
According to this year's stocktake, Sea Life aquariums house more than 30,000 sea creatures across 11 centres in the UK.