OCEANARIUM BOURNEMOUTH WELCOMES PENGUIN SIBLING DUO

Flagship Bournemouth aquarium celebrates hatching of sibling pair during Penguin Beach’s 10^th year anniversary

Oceanarium Bournemouth has announced the arrival of two Humboldt penguin chicks at its Penguin Beach Encounter.

Diego and Zorro are the proud foster parents of the sibling chicks. The same sex couple have fostered five chicks throughout their 10-year relationship, from incubating them as eggs to overseeing their move onto Penguin Beach.

The chicks’ gender is yet to be confirmed as identifying a penguin’s sex isn’t a straightforward process and requires DNA testing. A forthcoming gender reveal is planned for visitors to attend once the test results have been received.

Now at almost four months old, the chicks have officially flown the nest to join the rest of the colony and learn crucial life skills.

Amber Cookson, penguin keeper at Oceanarium Bournemouth, said: “We’re delighted to introduce our chicks to Penguin Beach. The two have such fun and playful personalities that our visitors are going to love getting to know the pair. They’ll be easy to spot as they have a greyish coat of feathers while they’re young, which is distinctive from the rest of our penguins.

“We have a lively bunch of characters in our Penguin Beach colony, and it’s been a joy to see these siblings exploring their home and getting to know everyone.”

Humboldt penguins, which are native to Chile and Peru in South America, are classed as a ‘vulnerable’ species, with the wildlife population declining due to threats such as habitat loss, climate change, and hunting. While Humboldt penguins don’t typically ‘mate for life’, they tend to be monogamous within the colony during breeding season.

Amber added: “Conservation is central to everything we do at the Oceanarium, and the arrival of our siblings mark a successful milestone in our ongoing breeding programme that supports this vulnerable species.”

The pair of chicks arrived just in time for Penguin Beach’s 10-year anniversary celebrations which kick-started this month. The custom-built enclosure opened in 2015 and is specifically designed to replicate the birds’ natural habitat with a deep pool, beach, rockery and nesting boxes. This £1.5million expansion spans across two levels with underwater viewing for visitors to watch the penguin colony play, fish, and dive.

Follow @oceanariumbournemouth on both Instagram and Facebook to find further details about the chicks’ upcoming gender reveal event. The aquarium is also calling for locals to help name the sibling pair by voting for their favorite names. A poll will be posted on the Oceanarium’s social media channels asking for votes following the gender reveal event.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For PR enquiries, please contact:

Shona Byrne
Shona.Byrne@lizleanpr.co.uk
01202 112 036

About Oceanarium, Bournemouth

The Oceanarium Bournemouth is a tropical aquarium, situated on Bournemouth’s golden mile coast. The aquarium is in a prime location for the 4 million tourists passing each year. 

Home to thousands of creatures, the Oceanarium is perfect for all the family. Not only do we have several displays inside, we have an outdoor terrace and penguin viewing area, making it the perfect place to visit all year round, whatever the weather.

Visitors can dive into a magical underwater journey discovering creatures above and below the waves. Submerge yourself in our underwater tunnel, home to stunning sharks, Carrie the loggerhead turtle and many more. Get up close to a cunning croc, mischievous otter family, mesmerizing jellyfish, colourful clownfish and not forgetting our playful colony of Humboldt penguins! With daily talks and feeding experiences available, the Oceanarium has something for everyone.

Not only do we thrive on homing e The Oceanarium has proudly partnered with multiple conservation programmes over the years. Conservation of endangered species is becoming increasingly important as a result of the world’s growing human population putting pressure on the habitats where animals live.

The Oceanarium Bournemouth has three sister parks in the UK. Blackpool Zoo, Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside, and Lakes Aquarium.

Conservation

Oceanarium Bournemouth aims to incorporate research, education, and sustainability into all aspects of its conservation work, and continues to bring conservation education to the local communities

Oceanarium Bournemouth has been a partner of the Punta San Juan Programme since 2022, raising essential more than £8,000 to support the population of vulnerable penguins in the Punta San Juan in Peru.

The Oceanarium partners with the Marine Conservation Society on its monthly Bournemouth Beach cleans as an ongoing pledge to the look after the local environment. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up online and the cleans take place on the first Sunday of the month. In 2024, the team spent 142 days dedicated to cleaning Bournemouth’s coastline.

The Oceanarium Bournemouth team has a long-standing relationship with Dorset Wildlife Trust and RSPB, regularly fundraising for the two charities.

The Oceanarium Bournemouth supports the Shark Trust and is part of the Big Shark Pledge which helps sharks that are at risk from irresponsible fishing.

Other conservation projects that Bournemouth Oceanarium supports, includes:

o   Two Minute Foundation