It’s all about penguins this weekend at Blair Drummond.
World Penguin Day falls the following weekend, but we’re getting a head start and celebrating a little early on Saturday the 18th of April.
From 10am to 4pm, you’ll find us just outside the sea lion habitat, where our team will be running a full day of hands-on activities and games inspired by our Humboldt penguins.
You can match penguins to where they live around the world, try your luck fishing for food in an “ocean” where plastic gets in the way, and take a closer look at the incredible adaptations that help penguins survive at sea. From waterproof feathers to insulating blubber, there’s plenty to discover.
Our Humboldt penguins are currently in their nesting season, so you might spot some tucked away in their nest boxes while others are out and about. It’s an exciting time for us, especially as we’ve had great success with our breeding programme, including four older chicks currently at the park. That work is more important than ever as wild populations continue to face increasing pressure from climate change, plastic pollution and unsustainable fishing practices.
All of our animal event days help raise funds for our conservation initiative, Link to the Wild. As part of this, our Penguin Keepers have chosen to support Sphenisco, an organisation working in Chile and Peru to protect Humboldt penguins through research, habitat restoration and community education.
Throughout the day, you can also take part in our pebble pledges, choosing one small action to help protect wildlife, from reducing plastic use to choosing sustainably sourced fish. It might seem simple, but together those small changes can make a real difference.
To help raise funds, we’ll be running a tombola with penguin-themed prizes, including a unique penguin print created by one of our own Humboldts, as well as a raffle for the chance to win a behind-the-scenes penguin experience, giving you the opportunity to get closer to our Humboldts and see how we care for them.
Whether you’re a lifelong penguin fan or just curious to learn more, we’d love you to join us.