Fourteen gentoo penguins are currently trapped in the basement of SEA LIFE London Aquarium. With no natural light, fresh air, or deep water to dive in, they are denied the very things they need to thrive, and live full, healthy lives.

That is why, in January 2024, Freedom for Animals (FFA) launched the campaign to see them freed from this terrible, unnatural confinement. Gentoo penguins are expert divers and swimmers in the wild, reaching depths of hundreds of feet. Yet at Sea Life, their pool of water is only 6–7 feet deep. 

They are a small colony, in a tiny enclosure, that does not meet their physical and social needs. Added to this, the constant public observation and noise has the capacity to cause serious stress and adverse health effects. Native to the Antarctic Circle and surrounding regions of the Southern Hemisphere, SEA LIFE London Aquarium’s penguins are forced to endure this atrociously unnatural environment, with only a cruel mural of their true home painted on the wall to show where they truly belong. 

They are not an endangered species - so keeping them incarcerated is NOT conservation, but exploitation for profit.

All animals deserve their freedom, and the businesses that profit from their captivity often use many excuses to try to justify incarcerating animals. Frequently, they claim ‘conservation’ as the reason behind their actions, and frequently this claim falls down under scrutiny.

Conservation is categorically inapplicable to Sea Life’s gentoo penguin exhibit as the species is currently doing well in the wild and at present their population levels are listed as of ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN Red List. Therefore, the breeding programmes that Sea Life is undertaking with this species is very clearly not motivated by conservation (as promotional material would claim). 

What has been done so far

• Freedom for Animals, Born Free and The Express held a protest outside Sea Life London, which was brilliantly well-attended by dedicated supporters, activists and influential celebrities figures Chris Packham, Dale Vince, Megan McCubbin and Feargal Sharkey - many of whom have previously joined our important calls to to free the penguins from SEALIFE.

• FFA launched an open letter in August 2024 signed by experts and public figures, including Chris Packham, calling for the penguins’ release.

• Parliamentary action taken - An Early Day Motion was tabled in Parliament, which gained the support of 24 MPs.

• Petition launched - This has gained the support of approximately 37,000 people to date!

• Partnerships built within animal protection organisations & the media - The Express newspaper and The Born Free Foundation (BFF) joined the campaign.

• The Children’s Parliament of the UK announced their support for the campaign, and held a demonstration, supported by FFA and BFF, on 25th July 2025.

• Regular impactful protests have been held outside SEA LIFE London Aquarium by dedicated local grassroots activists, to raise public awareness of the cruelty of captivity, and the shameful way in which Sea Life London holds animals captive for visitor entertainment and profit.

What’s next

We will be updating this page as and when updates happen.

As a result of ongoing campaigning, Merlin Entertainments invited Freedom for Animals, Born Free and PETA UK to the first internal stakeholder meeting to discuss the future of the penguins in December 2025. Since then, regular meetings have been held between Merlin and the animal protection organisations. Most recently a meeting in May 2026 - the statement for this can be found here.

After this meeting, Merlin Entertainments proposed substantive changes to its Gentoo penguin exhibits at London and Birmingham, including:

● The merging of its two UK Gentoo colonies into a single, larger, and enhanced exhibit, with significantly more water space and natural light.

● A commitment that Gentoo penguin breeding will permanently cease at both SEA LIFE London Aquarium and SEA LIFE Birmingham.

The campaigning charities (FFA, BFF and PETA UK) maintain that other options still remain open for consideration by Merlin, including:

● Transferring the Gentoos to another facility where they will have access to the outdoors.

● In the future, moving the Gentoos to an accredited Penguin Sanctuary (recognising that currently no such facility exists).

Throughout this campaign, Freedom for Animals has always had the best interests, and rights, of the penguins at the forefront of our minds, and will continue to work with our friends at Born Free and PETA UK to achieve the best outcome for these individuals - alongside our dedicated supporters who have followed this campaign from the very beginning. Thank you.