Is bird flu a concern for the penguins at Birdland?

The Birdland attraction in Bourton-on-the-Water was first opened in 1957 and the business has only gone up in success and visitors since. The park has over 500 birds and many other animals such as emus, pelicans and flamingos but there are also other facilities such as a children's play area, a gift shop and a newly opened cafe called the Bird Box Kiosk.

One of the most popular birds at Birdland are the penguins and Birdland is home to the only group of five King Penguins in England, with the oldest turning 38. The penguins are brought in from various parts of the UK such as Wales, Weymouth and Chessington and are then involved in a breeding programme to help the struggling species.

Head Keeper Alistair Keen, who has worked at Birdland for 22 years, expressed his love for penguins "from a young age' and described the park as "his office". He said: "Through these King Penguins I've worked with David Attenborough, and we had him filming his documentary here. One of our penguins has been crowned as World's Most Popular Penguin which helped raise awareness about why penguins are struggling. We've also been on BBC Breakfast, Channel 5 News and The One Show."

Alistair spoke about the importance of the penguins being at Birdland for "education and conservation". He said: "We've revamped the penguin pool last year and put a £15,000 filter system in to keep the water cleaner which helps fund us, and support conservation projects as well."

Birdland clearly takes pride in its online presence. For example, they are active on popular social media like TikTok. They also have a strong website with features like a webcam where people can watch penguins live. Alistair said: "We're always looking to improve in the future."

When asked about future challenges for Birdland, Alistair stated the main one was bird flu. He said: "We had a scare last year and lost a couple penguins in a short amount of time. We had to close for 3 days and have government vets coming in." He explained there were many precautions Birdland were taking such as the keepers disinfecting and changing their footwear. He said: "We've got plans in place, but it will be like Covid eventually."

If you are interested, Birdland have Adopt a Bird packages where you are able to help Birdland care for their animals.

Click the link here to adopt your own!