Dear John
 

Thank you for standing with us - and with the 15 Gentoo penguins at the heart of the Free the Fifteen campaign. Your support continues to make a real difference - here’s all you have helped us to achieve so far! 

As you know, the 15 Gentoo penguins at Sea Life London Aquarium are currently kept in an underground enclosure, with no natural daylight, no fresh air and limited space to express their natural behaviours.

Since launching the campaign, tens of thousands of you have taken action - signing petitions, attending protests, contacting MPs and helping to push this issue into the public eye. That pressure has been impossible for Merlin Entertainments to ignore!

To support the campaign, animal rights organisation - Protect the Wild - has recently created a striking new animation to increase public awareness on the penguins current situation. The animation powerfully tells the penguins’ story and challenges the reality of keeping wild animals in unsuitable captive conditions for human amusement.

You can watch it here!

While we remain clear that keeping penguins in their current environment is unacceptable, these discussions mark an important step forward. Key points include:

• Acknowledgement that the penguins’ welfare must be prioritised

• A pause on breeding while long-term options are explored

• Ongoing discussions around meaningful improvements and alternatives

• Continued campaigning for a future away from permanent captivity for entertainment

We also made clear that, while release into the wild is not possible, we will continue to push for sanctuary based solutions that have the penguins best interest in mind, and which provide natural light, fresh air and a vastly improved quality of life.

None of this progress would have happened without you. Public pressure works - and your voices have brought Merlin to the table!

The campaign is far from over. You can help keep it going by:

• Sharing the Protect the Wild animation

• Continuing to talk and share about the Free the Fifteen campaign, and attending protests where possible

• Signing the pledge to boycott Merlin Entertainments attractions

• Supporting our wider work to end the exploitation of wild animals for entertainment

Together, we are challenging the outdated idea that animals belong in tanks and cages, and building a future where their needs come first.

Thank you for standing with us and the penguins. We’ll keep you updated on this important campaign.

For the animals,


Laura Walton
Co-Director
Freedom for Animals

P.S. John, stand with me against animal captivity - become a Freedom Champion today!