A grand gesture from the supermarket chain.
As Chester Zoo continues the fight to save their much-loved attraction and its many conservation projects, budget supermarket chain Iceland has shown a true act of generosity, adopting all of the zoo’s Humboldt penguins. Calling out for the public’s help last week, Chester Zoo was told by the government that they’d be required to stay closed ‘indefinitely’, despite implementing a number of COVID-safe practises.
Choosing the most fitting animal to suit their brand, which was, of course, the penguin, Iceland adopted the whole Humboldt clan as part of the zoo’s adoption scheme, which anyone can take part in by providing a set donation. The zoo recently welcomed five new penguin chicks during the pandemic, who have all been appropriately named after NHS heroes.
🐧🐯 SAVE THE ZOO 🐒🐘 @chesterzoo has over 35,000 threatened and critically endangered animals but may have to close its doors for good as the government has ordered them to stay closed indefinitely.
Please visit the website to see how you can help: https://t.co/TNSNGkfRBQ pic.twitter.com/csQJv9nZLX
— Iceland Foods ❄️ (@IcelandFoods) June 8, 2020
Iceland’s major show of support comes as the zoo’s JustGiving page hit over £2.3m in donations, a figure which will help to run the zoo for around a month and a half. The campaign has been a massive success so far, with over £800,000 raised in the first 24 hours by fans and supporters.
Speaking of the adoption, Richard Walker, Managing Director of Iceland Foods said: “We were all saddened to hear of Chester Zoo’s recent struggles- it’s the heart of the local community in Chester and a much loved family favourite.
“I remember visiting the zoo as a child and my own kids love going there.
“We’re proud to be able to lend them our support both through the adoption of the Humboldt penguins on behalf of our colleagues, and by lobbying in support of zoos being allowed to reopen soon. The conservation work undertaken by the Zoo is vital and along with the park itself reopening it is incredibly important that this amazing work is able to continue.”
The zoo is home to approximately 35,000 threatened and endangered species and funds 80 global conservation projects which work to prevent the extinction of these animals.
If you’d like to help, check out Chester Zoo’s JustGiving page here where you can make a donation, or find out more about other ways you can support the #SaveOurZoo campaign.