There’s something wrong with this penguin enclosure – can you see what it is?
There's something really fishy about the new purpose-built penguin enclosure at Exotic Zoo in Telford, Shropshire, but it's not immediately obvious why
VISITORS to a zoo were left feeling a bit short-changed when they went to visit a brand new penguin enclosure.
The new attraction at Exotic Zoo in Telford, Shrops., cost tens of thousands of pounds to build and had been hotly anticipated – but can you see what was wrong with it?
The enclosure is filled exclusively with model penguins because zoo owners couldn’t get “the real thing”.
A delivery of six Humboldt penguins was expected this July but the zoo was unable to get any due to an outbreak of avian malaria.
So instead they put plastic figurines in as the enclosure is too specialist to house any other animals.
Zoo director Scott Adams took the decision to use the models until they can get actual penguins.
Scott said: “We’ve just timed it really badly.
“The enclosure is the zoo’s most expensive to date and we had hoped to have it open for the start of the summer holidays. But then disaster struck.
“Because of the outbreak of penguin malaria we were unable to get hold of three pairs we had been planning to get in for visitors to enjoy.
“Instead we’ve had to use life-size models of various different species of penguins so we can at least educate visitors to an extent.”
Scott said that avain malaria had been catastrophic for penguins in the UK.
He said: “Lots of zoos, if not most zoos, have lost a lot of penguins and in some case most of their stock.”
The zoo’s even planning to dress a member of his staff in a penguin costume over the Christmas period as he doesn’t believe the problem will be rectified until the new year.
But there’s no prospect of any real penguins arriving at Exotic Zoo until next year.
People visiting the zoo huddled together in their disappointment.
Julie Fearn, 44, of Shrewsbury, said: “It does look a bit weird and its a little bit disappointing because it would be lovely to see the penguins.
Dad-of-one Paul Lawley of Telford, added: “Its a shame they’ve spent all this money and got nothing to show for it. Its really sad news about the penguins dying too.
“But I would have just left it empty if I was them. It looks like the Madame Tussauds version of a zoo.”
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