Supermarket juggernauts Iceland have adopted Chester Zoo’s whole rookery of Humboldt penguins in a bid to support the popular attraction which is facing an uncertain future.
Chester Zoo launched a campaign last Wednesday as government coronavirus laws keeping zoos shut mean it could be closed ‘indefinitely’.
The campaign has generated over £2million already and now supermarket giants Iceland have pledged to adopt the zoo’s Humboldt penguins in another major boost for the attraction.
Supermarket giants Iceland have adopted Chester Zoo’s Humboldt penguins in a bid to support the popular attraction after it was revealed it faces an uncertain future
Last week, the zoo announced it faced closure as a result of the coronavirus crisis
Zoos like Chester’s (pictured) are still closed under the UK Government’s lockdown laws
The penguins do not hail from Iceland, but they encapsulate all things frozen, convincing the food retailer that adoption is the most appropriate way to support the zoo.
Adopting animals is a way of providing funds to a zoo or an animal enclosure, which is what Chester Zoo desperately needs to survive. Iceland’s donation will also help the zoo give the penguins the best life possible.
Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, told Cheshire Live: ‘We were all saddened to hear of Chester Zoo’s recent struggles; it’s the heart of the local community in Chester and a much loved family favourite – I remember visiting the zoo as a child and my own kids love going there.
‘We’re proud to be able to lend them our support both through the adoption of the Humboldt penguins on behalf of our colleagues, and by lobbying in support of zoos being allowed to reopen soon.
Supermarket giant Iceland have pledged to adopt a group of the attraction’s penguins
Adopting animals is a way of providing funds to Chester Zoo, which is struggling during these difficult times
The food retailer tweeted its support of the struggling north western zoo on Monday
‘The conservation work undertaken by the zoo is vital and along with the park itself reopening it is incredibly important that this amazing work is able to continue.’
Iceland have also agreed to lobby the government on the zoo’s behalf by way of campaigning for the current legislation to be amended to permit zoos to be opened with rigid social distancing guidelines in place.
The zoo’s Humboldt penguins have recently welcomed a crèche of chicks, which were named after NHS hospitals to pay respects to the hard work undertaken by the health service during the coronavirus crisis.
The zoo’s Justgiving page has generated £2,342,472 in donations. Chester Zoo ordinarily needs £1.5m a month to survive.
Chester Zoo is the most visited zoo in the UK. Had it not revealed concerns over its future last week, the attraction was hurtling towards a £24 million shortfall by the end of the year.
Staff are still working in Chester Zoo, the most visited of its kind in the UK, despite the lack of guests
The donation will help the zoo survive as well as provide the penguins with a better life
Other zoos around the country are also facing a growing threat as a result of the coronavirus crisis, with London Zoo needing a cash injection of £25 million to stay afloat while Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, too, has made cries for help.
In March, Zoological Society of London, the charity which oversees London Zoo Whipsnade Zoo, entered lockdown with cash reserves of £12 million, which may sound enormous but is suddenly much less so when you consider monthly outgoings across both sites of £2.3 million, reduced from £3.8 million through measures such as furloughing 49 per cent of staff.
Last week’s Government decision, which leaves zoos closed indefinitely, has only increased their sense of urgency.
The zoo has raised over £2.3m in the past week as it fights to stay afloat amid coronavirus
The zoo ordinarily needs £1.5m a month to survive and is not generating cash during lockdown
The zoo’s director general said he cannot believe zoos have not be allowed to reopen. Dominic Jermey believes zoos can be a provider for secure outdoor activities
‘We find it simply bizarre that we have been told not to reopen ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoo to the public, despite having explained to Government in great detail how we have redesigned the whole experience at our zoos to make them Covid-secure,’ says director general Dominic Jermey.
‘ZSL’s zoos should be part of the solution to Covid, providing Covid-secure outdoor experiences where a population emerging from lockdown can visit with confidence; instead, the longer we stay closed, the less likely we are to survive.’
Over the Easter and May holiday periods gate takings at ZSL could have been around £4.8 million, with another £3 million spent by visitors on food, drink and souvenirs.
Ministers have announced a £14 million fund to support zoos, but ZSL says the focus is on small grants for small zoos.
Plans were well-established to get the public back through the door, albeit in a new ‘socially distanced’ way in booked time slots. Now they are on hold, with no apparent end in sight.