'Celebrity' Penguin Goes Viral Online During Lockdown

A Cotswold wildlife park is offering 'virtual visits' during lockdown with a series of livestreamed talks and feeding displays 

However one of the biggest attractions is proving to be Birdland's celebrity king penguin Spike.

Since lockdown, videos of Spike's antics at the Bourton-on-the-water attraction, have received more than 25,000 views on Facebook.

The 12-year-old flightless bird has also seen a rise in the number of followers on his personal Facebook page to nearly 14,000 in recent weeks. 

Alistair Keen, head keeper at Birdland Park & Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water, decided to stream weekly feeds and talks live online as a way to keep people informed on what day-to-day life was like for the birds without any visitors.

Using his smartphone, Alistair has recorded flamingo and pelican feeds, provided meet the parrots' sessions and livestreamed from inside England's only breeding colony of king penguins.

“We wanted to come up with a means to maintain some way for people who would normally be visiting us to still be able to keep up to date with what's going on,” said Alistair. 

“At first it seemed a bit strange to be doing talks just to a colony of penguins, but when we started to see the online reactions of people from across the country and further afield, I realised there was an enthusiastic audience out there. 

“Spike's videos have proved particularly popular and he is definitely a character. Over the years he's become a bit of a celebrity and I am sure he's enjoying all the online attention,” he added. 

Spike, who was hatched in 2007, had to be hand-reared by Alistair after being abandoned by his parents Frank and Beryl. 

Over the years he has become one of the country's best known penguins with a starring role alongside the legendary Sir David Attenborough as part of the 'Natural Curiosities' series.

Among his other television highlights are 'Penguins Make You Laugh Out Loud' and 'Junior Vets'. He's also featured on 'Escape to the Country' and starred in adverts for LG and an Icelandic bank. 

In addition to his television work, Spike has appeared in numerous calendars, on greetings cards and he even has a double page spread in a natural history book.

With its combination of woodland, riverside and gardens, Birdland features more than 500 birds, ranging from birds of prey and parrots to cassowaries and cranes in a mix of free-flying and aviary displays.

• For details of the next livestreams go to www.birdland.co.uk. To follow Spike the penguin on Facebook 

Please contact Head Keeper Alistair Keen on 07772 971287 or 01451 820480 or Manager Simon Blackwell on 01451 820480 / 07850 929 828 or email drew@flamingo-marketing.co.uk for more information.