Penguins dive in for 2012 Games
Thursday 29 March 2012
Penguins celebrate London 2012 with custom-made diving board!
As Olympic fever hits the capital, the penguins at ZSL London Zoo joined in with the fun – with their very own diving board.
To celebrate ZSL London Zoo being awarded LOCOG’s Inspired by 2012 mark for its summer Animal Athletes programme, the sporty birds had their very own diving board installed for a day at Penguin Beach.
Having already perfected their penguin-stroke and mastered the flipper-crawl, the Zoo’s colony of 64 penguins practiced their spectacular diving skills, ready to show them off at the famous Penguin Beach Live! demonstration.
Head Bird keeper, Adrian Walls said: “The penguins love nothing more than to show off their diving skills and really play up to the audiences during Penguin Beach Live!; and they loved having their very own diving board.
“We installed it at the deepest point of their pool, right above the underwater viewing areas, so got to see them really giving Tom Daly a run for his money.”
The daily penguin feed is a time-honoured tradition at the Zoo, and Penguin Beach Live! is the Zoo’s newest and most popular yet. With newly increased stadium seating to ensure each visitor gets a prime spot, the daily demonstration gives the penguins the chance to show off their impressive skills as they dive and leap to fetch their fishy meals.
It’s not just the penguins joining in with the fun; as part of the London 2012 Inspire Programme, the Zoo’s very own Animal Athletes are gearing up to show off their sporting abilities this summer in London Zoo Live! – a new series of events at ZSL London Zoo for this summer.
