PETA complains about Humboldt penguins in Liverpool ice show
PA
Although we tend to associate penguins with cold, icy weather, some of them actually live on the warm Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile.
But the organisers of the pre-Christmas 'Ice Festival' at the Liverpool ONE shopping centre obviously weren't aware of this when they released five Humboldt penguins - which are native to South America - onto their ice rink in front of crowds of excited children.
The Daily Mail reports that the birds spent most of the ten-minute show falling over - probably because they had never before encountered ice.
Professor Rory Wilson, of Swansea University, who has studied penguins for 32 years, told the Daily Mail: "Humboldts are a tropical penguin used to a very warm climate in Chile and they will never, ever come across ice in their natural environment. If they looked cold then they probably were."
A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) branded the event, which took place three weeks ago, "disrespectful, out of touch and tragic."
PETA told Click Liverpool: "They [the penguins] do not deserve to be exploited as props, kept in tiny enclosures and denied all that is natural and familiar to them.
"Forcing penguins to endure the stress of being hauled around and released onto a patch of ice in front of hordes of shoppers can only leave them petrified and disorientated.
"It is reckless and cruel to take Humboldt penguins or any animals and deliberately place them in a frightening and wholly unsuitable environment, such as a tiny ice enclosure, when they belong in the water and on the rocky islands off the coast of South America."
Click on the image below for our round up of the best ice rinks...
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