The Liberal Democrat MP, who practised as a vet for 16 years before being elected for Winchester at the general election, is the focus of an article in today's Express. The paper prints the statement he issued after seeing the way the gentoo penguins were being kept:
In the heart of London, I witnessed grown penguins confined to dark and cramped conditions underground.Little freedom to roam and no glimpse of sunlight. I thought to myself, is this really befitting of a country of animal lovers?This is what I encountered at Sea Life, London’s Aquarium. Gentoo penguins, glum looking, behind a misty screen in a cramped basement-style room.I applaud the likes of Chris Packham and Feargal Sharkey who have campaigned to get these penguins freed. Now, as a Member of Parliament, I join that cause. It is time to free the penguins.
I was surprised to learn about this, particularly as London Zoo had to close its old Lubetkin-designed and Grade 1 listed penguin pool because of avian welfare concerns a couple of decades ago. It's a triumph of Modern design, and in the open air - if that was not regarded as a suitable home for penguins then a basement in the London County Council building should have been out of the question.
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