Twycross Zoo, located in Atherstone, Warwickshire, England, is a renowned conservation charity that houses a variety of animals, including the popular Humboldt penguins. These penguins, native to the temperate coast of Chile and Peru, have experienced a significant population decline of 85% over the past 40 years due to various threats such as poaching, over-fishing, guano harvesting, pollution, climate change, and El Nino weather events.
Species Information and Population
Twycross Zoo is currently home to 34 Humboldt penguins, making it the only UK zoo that hosts all four great apes and all three penguin species. The zoo first welcomed Humboldt penguins in 1969, and since then, it has been dedicated to their conservation and care.
Visitor Experiences
Visitors to Twycross Zoo can participate in various animal experiences, including the Penguin Encounter, where they can feed the penguins their favorite fish and learn about these fascinating aquatic birds from the keepers. This unique opportunity allows guests to have up-close and memorable experiences with the penguins while supporting the zoo’s conservation efforts.
Humboldt Penguin Details
Humboldt penguins are medium-sized birds that can move swiftly through water using their adapted wings and streamlined bodies. They are capable of breaching, or jumping out of the water like dolphins, and can dive to depths of around 50 meters to forage for food such as squid, crustaceans, and fish, with a preference for anchovies, herring, and smelt.
These penguins are monogamous and create burrows to surround their eggs with guano for insulation. After an incubation period of approximately one month, the parents take turns fetching food for their young.
Threats and Conservation
Humboldt penguins face numerous threats, including overfishing, which depletes their food sources and entangles them in fishing gear. The collection of guano for fertilizer also reduces their breeding success by disturbing their nesting sites. Climate change and El Nino weather events further exacerbate these challenges by reducing prey availability and increasing the risk of disease.
Visitors can support wild Humboldt penguins by purchasing sustainably caught fish products bearing the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue label, ensuring that there is still an abundant food supply for these remarkable creatures.
Twycross Zoo Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Twycross Zoo, East Midland Zoological Society, Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire, CV9 3PX, England |
| Phone (Admissions) | +44 (0)1827 883140 |
| Phone (General Enquiries) | +44 (0)1827 880250 |
| [email protected] | |
| Hours | 10:00 – 18:00 (last admission at 17:00) |
| Cost | Adult (16+) – £24.95, Child (3-15) – £19.95, Child (under 3) – Free, Senior (60+) – £22.95, Disabled Visitor – £22.95, Carer – Free |
| Website | https://twycrosszoo.org |
Additional Facts about Twycross Zoo Penguins
- Twycross Zoo is the only UK zoo that houses all four great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos) and all three penguin species (Humboldt, Gentoo, and King penguins).
- The Humboldt penguins at Twycross Zoo are part of a European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which aims to maintain a healthy and genetically diverse population of these penguins in captivity.
- The zoo’s Humboldt penguin colony has successfully bred over the years, with the birth of 10 penguin chicks in 2022 alone.
- Twycross Zoo’s Humboldt penguins are housed in a state-of-the-art enclosure that mimics their natural habitat, with a large pool, rocky terrain, and nesting areas.
- Visitors can observe the penguins’ daily activities, such as swimming, preening, and interacting with their keepers, during the scheduled feeding and enrichment sessions.