Lawmakers take action to protect penguins ‘trapped’ at popular aquarium

Feathers are flying across the pond as British lawmakers are demanding the release of 15 black-and-white penguins “trapped” at a popular London aquarium.

The Gentoo penguins are being held in an enclosure at Sea Life London Aquarium — and angry critics charge the defenseless waddlers have no access to daylight or fresh air, and are living in too-shallow water, according to dozens of lawmakers who are pushing for change.

The parliament members signed a letter to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, pleading with her to “consider whether the penguins should be relocated to a more suitable facility better aligned with their behavioral, ecological and physiological needs,” according to NBC.

Gentoo penguins are being held in an enclosure at Sea Life London Aquarium. Born Free/AFP via Getty Images

“Abusing animals for money is un-British,” peeved Parliament member David Taylor posted on X.

The Free the 15! campaign and petition to save the Gentoo penguins — characterized by their red-orange beaks, white-feather caps and peach-colored feet — was spearheaded in February 2024 by Freedom for Animals, one of the longest running UK animal protection charities.

“In a windowless basement beneath London, Sea Life imprisons 15 Gentoo penguins. They will spend their entire lives in captivity if we don’t free them,” Freedom for Animals stated in a post on its website.

Last winter, Freedom for Animals, one of the longest running UK animal protection charities, spearheaded a Free The 15! campaign. PA Images via Getty Images

“London Sea Life Aquarium’s penguins are forced to endure an unnatural environment, with only a cruel mural of their true home painted on the wall to show where they truly belong.”

On Oct. 19, the mission gained traction with a protest outside the aquarium, one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions and a short distance from the Houses of Parliament.

But aquarium owner Merlin Entertainments has said its penguin enclosure — rocks and artificial snow cliffs over a pool of water — meets the UK standards of modern zoo practice.

The penguin enclosure was “carefully designed to reflect important elements of the penguins’ natural environment as closely as possible to ensure good health, including climate-controlled temperature and filtered fresh air,” the company told NBC.