If you have been to Penguin Beach recently you may be wondering why the Macaroni penguins have been shut out of their enclosure (Click the title to read more).

For the last few weeks our keepers have been escorting the Macaroni penguins out from their rocky area every morning and putting a gate across until late afternoon. I thought they had been naughty but my Dad Fergus said it was because they had got a little bit too comfy on the rocks and the keepers wanted to encourage them into the water more. He also said that in the wild they would spend up to 95% of their time in the water and only go back to shore to breed and moult. It seems to be working as there are definitely more penguins in the water when I go swimming.

When the keepers let them back on to the rocky area they make such a fuss shouting and waving their heads around in what is known as their ecstatic display, although why they get so excited over a pile of rocks I don’t know – I much prefer my nice warm burrow!

Hope to see you soon,
Love Ping x