please feel free to correct any of the following:
ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS
(1) Edinburgh - small colony of about 20, they breed regularly but often with gaps of multiple years.
(2) Whipsnade - Formerly a small breeding group which produced chicks annually for the last 4 or 5 years. Numbers leaving seemed to coincide with rockhoppers arriving at Regents Park. Now down to a breeding pair plus last years chick according to ISIS.
(3) London - Since 2006/7, they have kept between 1 and 4 of these birds. I strongly suspect they were young Whipsnade-bred birds. They appear to be down to just one again. If the hotwire around the enclosure is anything to go by, I would suggest foxes are a problem at this site.
(4) Drusillas - Surprising species for this zoo, one pair remain from six birds that arrived in 1992. I think just one chick was reared since then, possibly one of the remaining pair.
(5) Belfast - This is the nominate subspecies whereas ISIS list all other rockhoppers in the UK as of the Northern subspecies. Small group, I think the remainder of birds arriving in 1991/92. Very possibly from eggs collected in an expedition to South Georgia in 1991 (which provided Belfast with its King Penguins at the time), although I'm not 100%. Other forum members suggest eggs have been produced but no chicks reared.
MACARONI PENGUINS
(1) Living Coasts - small breeding colony, just over 20 birds, breed annually.
(2) Twycross - small group, one chick reared last year, possibly their first for this species? Although, it sounds as if they have sent their group to join the one at Living Coasts?
GENTOO PENGUINS
(1) Edinburgh - world's largest captive group, over 150, breed prolifically each year (approx 50 chicks annually)
(2) Belfast - small group, I believe chicks were reared last year? Breed sporadically.
KING PENGUINS
(1) Birdland - Now the UK's largest group at 17 according to ISIS, breed regularly but not annually.
(2) Edinburgh - small declining colony of 11 birds, first chick for several years reared last year.
MAGELLANIC PENGUINS
(1) Blackpool - new group imported last year from sister park in Spain.
Last year Bristol stopped keeping little blue penguins having failed to establish a group, or later, a (same-sex) pair, while Magellanic Penguins returned to the UK having previously been kept at Belfast. Also in 2008 Whipsnade had attempted to establish a small group of Gentoo penguins but these either died or were sent away very quickly.
Bristol and living coasts both gave up their gentoo penguins in recent years (the gentoo still features on the logo for 'Seal and Penguin Coasts' at Bristol), it would appear this species does not fare well in Southern Britain. Blackpool also kept gentoos until the 90s but I'm not sure how well they did with them or reasons why if they struggled with them.
All other UK collections to my knowledge hold African or Humboldt penguins, both of which tend to breed very well and are numerous across UK holdings.
