Birdland Park Welcomes Two Rare Female King Penguins

Birdland Park and Gardens in Gloucestershire recently welcomed two female king penguins, the first of their kind imported to the UK in 15 years, in an effort to enhance its breeding program. These penguins, hatched in Germany in 2021 and 2023, are expected to invigorate the park's breeding efforts and improve the dynamics of its colony, which had been male-dominated following the discovery that a previously thought female was actually male. Head keeper Alistair Keen emphasized the significance of these additions, highlighting the long absence of successful breeding at the park. The penguins will undergo a quarantine period before joining the rest of the colony, as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Ex-situ Programme aimed at maintaining healthy captive populations. The introduction of these females is seen as a pivotal step for Birdland's future breeding success and the overall viability of the species in captivity.