Animal rights group Freedom for Animals protested at the London Sea Life this week in a bid to free 15 Gentoo penguins kept in the aquarium.
The protest concerned the penguins’ current conditions at the major tourist attraction Sea Life, on London’s South Bank. The seabirds live in the basement of the former public offices of County Hall, with no access to sunlight or fresh air in a 115 meter square enclosure which has an underwater space between six to seven feet.
Freedom for Animals has been campaigning on the issue since January 2024, led by the group’s co-director and campaign manager Laura Walton.
“Like most people, even people who have visited Sea Life and aren’t anti-aquarium realise when they come out that the penguins being kept underground in a basement with no sunlight, fresh air, or just space to dive or thrive, is wrong,” said Walton. “There’s no justification for it.”
Walton said initially TripAdvisor reviews about the living conditions caught the group’s attention.
A petition gathered 15,000 signatures, and boosted by the support of Born Free, a UK-based international wildlife charity, that number has reached nearly 40,000 pledges from people globally.
Sea Life is owned by Merlin Entertainments, the group which runs other attractions such as Madame Tussauds, Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND.
A spokesperson from Sea Life said: “The habitat meets the high standards set by the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice and is regularly inspected and reviewed by specialists and third parties including vets from the International Zoo Veterinary Group.”
In the wild, Gentoo penguins live in the Antarctic peninsula where they swim up to 22 mph and dive to depths of 600 feet.
Naturalist and nature photographer Chris Packham, green energy industrialist Dale Vince and singer and environmentalist Seán Fergal Sharkley OBE attended the protest as guest speakers.
“Well Merlin need to get real,” said Vince. “They need to spend some money on better conditions.”
The aquarium said that the penguins were well cared for and that they had their zoo licence renewed as of 1 April 2025 after government inspection. Protesters said this was not good enough.
“It just cannot be right for an animal, or a bird, to be kept in those confined conditions,” said protester Mark Batt-Rawden. “I’m sure the vets ensure they’re being properly looked after, but that doesn’t mean they [the penguins] are not enjoying the freedom that they should have.”
Freedom for Animals’ Walton said the group want the penguins to be moved to a sanctuary where they are not used for profit or breeding.
Protester Mary Rose Mercibca said that there were more “sustainable and humane” alternatives to visiting the aquarium for those who still wish to see wildlife in London.
“A lot of people ask me for advice on things to do in London,” she said. “I would always recommend the safari parks at least, where animals are in their natural environment.”
