Humboldt penguins move to Sea Life Porto! Come and pay them a visit!

The Sea Life Porto is now home to seven Humboldt penguins. These are the first penguins to "live" in Porto. Today was the official presentation of these South American penguins, and also the celebration of the Aquarium 10th anniversary. Beaker, Luna, Pip, Pumpkin, Mahogany, Tommy and Fluffy are the names of the most recent inhabitants of Sea Life Porto.

A new home was created to welcome the seven penguins, with outdoor space, which represented an investment of circa one million euros by the British company Merlin (Sea Life owner), the second biggest tourist attraction in the world.

The project "Penguin Porto" "comes in response to the growing number of visitors that the aquarium welcomes, and that surpassed the 2 million visitor barrier in the last decade.

"Expanding the Sea Life experience was the main goal and when we thought of an outdoor space there was no doubt that we should bring a penguin family, and also because these are the animals that children cherish the most", explained Rui Ferreira, Sea Life Director.

The Humboldt penguins' natural habitat comprises most of coastal Chile and Peru. They are named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt on account of the cold water current they swims in. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN with no population recovery plan in place.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sea Life Porto and to welcome the penguin family, the aquarium offers free entry to children up to 12 years accompanied by an adult from today, 11 July, till Sunday, 14 July.