The penguins at Blackpool Zoo are now settling into their new home after its undergone an impressive £100,000 refurbishment.
Or, as the zoo has comically put it, they’re ready to “net fish and chill”.
The improvement works on the newly-named ‘Penguin Cove’ down at the Lancashire-based zoo – which opened in 1972, and is now home to over 1,000 mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates – started back in January when the colony of penguins was temporarily relocated so their specially-designed facility could take shape.
Blackpool Zoo is home to the UK’s only collection of Magellanic penguins – a South American penguin named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who first spotted them in 1520, and who originate from coastal Patagonia, Chile, and the Falkland Islands.
The penguin colony arrived at the zoo in 2009 as part of the ‘Active Oceans Arena’ development.
ADVERTISEMENT
The £100,000 refurb of the colony’s living facility includes a brand-new beach – which is eight-times bigger than the previous one – made with sand from an estuary on the River Mersey, and coming complete with more nest boxes for mating pairs.
Blackpool Zoo’s penguins move into new home with a beach and pool after £100k refurb / Credit: Blackpool Zoo
The pool has also had an overhaul, and now includes a state-of-the-art lining and a net cover across the whole area to help to protect the animals from bird flu.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thanks to the new refurb, visitors see the cute aquatic birds in their new habitats much better than they could before, as there’s a new extended walkway that goes all the way round the beach and pool, and there’s also lots of new planting that provides natural shading.
Luke Forster, Deputy Team Manager on the Birds and Events Section at Blackpool Zoo, designed the new facility and oversaw the entire project.
“We are thrilled to be reopening our improved and extended facility,” Luke said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The penguins moved to the new beach over Easter but this week we finished and opened their new pool, which marks the completion of the fabulous new Penguin Cove. This investment will make a real difference for the residents, the staff and our many penguin super fans and there is plenty of room for the colony to grow, which is great as they are a real zoo favourite.
“We’re hoping the additional nest boxes will lead to lots of fluffy little new arrivals and the new netting will help to protect the penguins from bird flu, which has been particularly bad this year.”
On top of the new penguin facility, now that the national restrictions on birds have been lifted, Blackpool Zoo says it’s “delighted” to have been able to reopen its World of Wings walk-through, and is also getting ready to reopen its Rainbow Landings exhibit.
The World of Wings is now open seven days a week, while Rainbow Landings on weekends and Bank Holidays from next Saturday 29 April, and then every day from Saturday 27 May.
Featured Image – Blackpool Zoo
Trending
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
21st April 2023 
