Sea Life Centre’s special Easter egg as penguins nest
Easter was marked in a different way at Birmingham's National Sea Life Centre after staff hunted out a special type of egg this year.
The team at the aquarium are celebrating having spotted an egg in one of their penguin nests.
If it hatches, this will be the colony's first fluffy new arrival in two years – after the last successful breeding in 2017.
Keepers had been keeping their fingers crossed that Prince, their young one-year-old male Gentoo penguin who has been labelled 'Britain’s Loneliest Penguin' after not finding love during his first mating season last year, had finally found the female of his dreams.
Staff were delighted this Easter to spot an egg on four-year-old Hyacinth’s nest and will be keeping their fingers crossed they are all able to welcome a chick in the coming months.
Alan Kwan, displays supervisor at the National Sea Life Centre, said: "We are just thrilled to have found an egg and this is better than any chocolate variety the Easter bunny could have brought us this year.
"We make sure we let the penguins care for the eggs themselves, which means we can’t always guarantee that we will get a chick, as it depends on how well they take care of their nest.
"We are keeping everything crossed for the pair - it would really make our spring if they are successful."
Staff will not know for around another month if they will be welcoming tiny penguin flippers to the colony.
