No one in the UK is enjoying the sub-zero temperatures brought by Storm Emma, except the penguins of course.
The UK is home to thousands of penguins up and down the country in zoos and conservation centres.
A photo from Edinburgh Zoo showed the Gentoo penguins excitedly enjoying the snow, the ‘Beast of the East’ handed over to us this week.
Edinburgh Zoo wrote on Twitter:
The Zoo is currently closed due to heavy snow and ice, with more forecast on the way.
We will continue to review the conditions ahead of tomorrow and post an update as soon as we are able.
Please take care and check the conditions ahead of travelling.
The Scottish zoo, which is home to Europe’s largest penguin pool, wrote on their page:
The weather conditions may have been challenging for us humans, but they didn’t stop this Gentoo penguin from enjoying the #SnowDay!
Gentoo’s are the third largest penguin species and while they may not be the most eye-catching, they more than make up for it with their exuberant personalities.
Our penguins can be found at Penguins Rock, Europe’s largest outdoor penguin pool.
However there’ve been a number of other zoos who’ve managed to stay open despite the cold temperatures.
Marwell Zoo wrote on Twitter:
Despite the snow, we are open today from 10am-4pm. However, there are some restrictions to services but that doesn’t stop our penguins from enjoying themselves.
Anyone else fancy a dip?
#TheBeastFromTheEast
One Twitter user wrote:
Make me happy seeing the penguins at Edinburgh zoo enjoying the snow bc this is literally the closest they’ll get to what they’re used to in their NATURAL HABITAT cause of stupid humans holding them in captivity. [sic]
The ‘Beast from the East’ along with Storm Emma have brought warnings of the worst blizzards since 1962 to our shores.
Brits are being warned to only travel if it’s essential, with the vulnerable and elderly being told to completely stay indoors.
On Edinburgh Zoo’s ‘penguin cam’, you can see the zoo’s livestream of the penguin enclosure.
The Met Office claimed the amount of snow forecast could be the biggest single fall since the notorious winter of 1962-63, when some areas of the country were blighted by snow and ice for more than three months.
The Met Office predicted up to 50cm of snow would fall across the southeast, with Scotland facing a similar dose of the stuff.
Since we took the penguins out of their environment and made them live here, it’s only fair we endure a taste of their climate.
