Making a splash: See the penguins in their new home at Woburn Safari Park

The Humboldt penguins can now be seen in their newly expanded and redeveloped home, Humboldt Harbour!

The official opening of the new penguin enclosure

Cleverly named by the team at Woburn Fire Station, following a competition run by the penguin keepers last year, the enclosure is named after the strip of water they swim in, the Humboldt Current.

Left to right: Fire Fighter Kelly, Crew Commander Claxton, Crew Commander Matthews, and Fire Fighter Sisson.

A small team from the Woburn Fire Station came over for the official opening of the enclosure, and Crew Commander Josh Matthews, said: “Woburn Fire Station has always had a great relationship with Woburn Safari Park.

“When we heard about the competition, we felt like we had to get involved. So we did some research on the penguins and had a session coming up with a few ideas. We agreed as a team and put forward our idea ‘Humboldt Harbour’ and we’re delighted that Woburn Safari Park chose it!”

The benefits of the new penguin enclosure

Their home has been carefully designed by keepers to encourage their natural behaviour. Natural feeding regimes, breeding behaviours, and environmental enrichment were all key elements in the planning of their new home.

Within the pool new ramps have been installed that lead from within the water to the top of the beach, giving the penguins better access in and out of the water.

An updated state-of-the-art life support system has also be installed, to further benefit their health and wellbeing whilst still ensuring that no harmful chemicals ever need to be used in the water.

The bank of the penguin enclosure has also been widened to open the space up; making it easier for the penguins to dig their own burrows, which many of them have already begun doing – showing how settled they already are in their new home.

What visitors can expect from the new penguin enclosure

It isn’t just the penguins that are benefiting from the redevelopment though!

New viewing windows have been installed, allowing visitors to see almost all the way around the enclosure - including at the back, which provides a unique insight into their complex system of burrows.

Check out the new enclosure during your visit

Among the first to check out the penguins in their new home was Henry from Naturetastic from Henry. Check out his video to find out more about the penguins and the amazing features of the new enclosure.

Head to Humboldt Harbour (number 1 on the map) in the Foot Safari to see the penguins.

Don’t be alarmed if the water looks a little green. The Park remains committed to never using harmful chemicals, such as chlorine, so a natural system is used instead and algae growing in an all-natural system such as this is a sign that the pool water is healthy.