Edinburgh Zoo’s penguins go for a Wee Waddle each weekend
Posted 19 Sep 2024
From Friday 20 September Edinburgh Zoo’s penguin colony will take part in the Wee Waddle, a reimagined version of the world-famous Penguin Parade. This new experience will allow visitors the chance to get up close to see the gentoo, rockhopper and king penguin colony take a stroll along the walkway before they explore a new area outside of their usual habitat.
The wildlife conservation charity’s penguins will leave Penguins Rock to take part in feeds, then have the opportunity to waddle around part of the perimeter. Cheeky gentoo Kevin will even be given the chance to join in, after famously being banned from the parade in the past for playfully nipping at visitors’ ankles.
David Field, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) CEO, said, “We know our visitors have missed the Penguin Parade, and the Wee Waddle is a great way to bring this back and keep the magic of experiencing the penguins waddle around and explore outside their pool, while also getting closer to the colony during feeds!
“This is all part of our charity’s ongoing efforts to get people as close to nature as possible so that we can inspire and enable them to help protect it.”
Visitors can watch the Wee Waddle at Edinburgh Zoo Thursday to Sunday at 2:15pm.
Notes to Editors
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Notes to editor:
- Visitor FAQs can be found at edinburghzoo.org.uk/penguin-wee-waddle
- Wee Waddle will take place at 2:15pm Thursdays – Sundays
- The Penguin Parade was originally postponed due to Covid to discourage large crowds standing together along the original route, it was further delayed due to avian influenza risks throughout the UK. With the avian flu risk currently low, the Wee Waddle will take the place of the parade going forward
- Unlike the Penguin Parade, there will be a small, penguin-sized fence separating penguins and visitors
- The Wee Waddle is completely voluntary, penguins are not coerced into coming outside of their habitat
- The last Penguin Parade took place in March 2020. The first parade is thought to have taken place in 1949, when a keeper accidentally left the gate of the enclosure open and a few curious penguins left the enclosure and marched down to the front gate and back, with the keeper in tow. It then became a daily ritual.
Images and video:
Hi res images and video available at - https://we.tl/t-T50OW5E0LT
Images are free to use but must be credited to RZSS
About the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (rzss.org.uk)
- The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision: a world which protects, values and loves nature
- Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are gateways to the natural world through which people can experience nature, learn about the challenges facing wildlife and discover how we harness our expertise in conservation science and animal care alongside the unique power of the RZSS family – our teams, supporters and partners – to save animals from extinction
For further information, please contact comms@rzss.org.uk
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