Following World Penguin Day yesterday, the Penguin Keepers from SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium are pleased to announce they’re donating $3,000 to three non-profit organisations that help protect penguins in the wild.

Over the past year, the crafty keepers have been creating art with the help of the King and Gentoo penguins and selling their wares in the Aquarium’s retail store.

The team has collected black pebbles – which the Gentoo penguins have previously used to make nests – to create miniature works of pebble art, often using the birds’ discarded tail feathers as paintbrushes. The keepers have also framed paintings that have been created by some of the more artistically inclined penguins by waddling through a puddle of non-toxic paint and then waddling over strategically placed cardboard.

As the home of New Zealand’s only colony of sub-Antarctic penguins, the Penguin Keepers at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s are showing their support for the incredible work that goes into the protection and conservation of local penguin species in the wild by giving 100% of the funds raised through the penguin art project to Wildlife Hospital, Penguin Rescue and NZ Bird Rescue Charitable Trust.

“We are truly happy to be in a position to donate to three non-profit organisations, which are doing amazing work to protect New Zealand’s penguin populations. Our team is passionate about penguins and we’ve had so much fun creating our art over the last year. It’s awesome to be able to raise awareness about the problems that New Zealand’s wild penguins are facing and doing it in a fun way,” said Kristen Buckley, Penguin Keeper at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s.

“The King and Gentoo penguins here at the Aquarium are ambassadors for their species, helping us inspire our visitors to learn more about these magnificent creatures and find out how we can help protect them and our local penguin species in the wild,” continued Kristen.

According to Rosalie Goldsworthy from Penguin Rescue; “Penguin Rescue is very grateful for the financial support from SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s. It helps us fund diagnostic work with wild penguins. We are able to create slides of blood and check them for disease or parasites.”

SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s is also home to rescued sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation, magnificent sand tiger sharks, hundreds of different fish species, and many more marine creatures. All visitors must pre-book their tickets online in advance.

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