Until further notice, Edinburgh Zoo’s penguins will no longer partake in penguin parades.
Darren McGarry commented for The Student “We are keeping the highest possible bio-security measures in place” as the Avian Influenza “still presents a threat in the UK.”
Avian flu does not normally affect humans, the NHS reports.
Last autumn detection of the H5N1 strain was reported in Antarctica.
And two incidents of “highly pathogenic avian influenza” were recorded in Orkney Islands and Aberdeenshire.
The Penguin Parade started in 1951 when a rogue penguin escaped, and rather than catch it, the zookeeper decided to see what would happen and let it roam.
King penguin, Sir Nils Olav III (pictured) resides at Edinburgh Zoo, and was promoted to Major General in 2023.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) guaranteed that people can still see the three penguin’s species in “Europe’s largest outdoor penguin pool.”
Read More: Edinburgh Sun Bear dies: Edinburgh Zoo postpones famous penguin parade over avian flu fearsMcGarry concluded “we are considering ways to bring back the Penguin Parade in some form in the future.”
“Penguin Parade, Edinburgh Zoo, July 1995” by alljengi is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
“Nils Olav the Penguin inspects the Kings Guard of Norway after being bestowed with a knighthood at Edinburgh Zoo” by Defence Images is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.