Cornish Park Switches 26 Penguins to Locally-Caught Sardines
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- Paradise Park in Hayle now sources two to three tonnes of sardines a year from local fisherman Tom Lambourn, caught just 10 miles (16km) from the park rather than frozen sprats imported from the Netherlands.
- Tom Lambourn, the fisherman, began the arrangement after visiting the park and hearing a keeper say the penguins loved sardines; he said, "When I heard the penguins loved sardines but that the park thought they couldn't get them, I thought: 'Well, I might be able to help with that.'"
- The park's 26 Humboldt penguins had previously been fed locally caught sardines for years, but that supply ended when the park's long-standing supplier retired.
- Spneb, a 38-year-old Humboldt penguin believed to be the world's oldest of her species, recently marked her birthday with a meal of Cornish sardines.
- Gus Caslake, chair of the Cornish Sardine Management Association and Seafish industry engagement manager for South West England, said the arrangement "reduces the need to transport fish long distances and showcasing the quality of the Cornish sardine."
- David Woolcock, curator at Paradise Park, called it "a great example of how a simple conversation can lead to a really positive change" and said a new information board beside the penguin pool now teaches visitors about the birds' diet.
- The penguins had previously lost their local sardine supply when their long-standing supplier retired, forcing the park onto Dutch imports before Lambourn's chance visit restarted the local chain.
Why it matters: A small Cornwall wildlife park shed its Dutch fish import dependency in favor of a 10-mile supply chain, handing one local fisherman roughly two to three tonnes of annual demand and cutting food-mile transport for 26 Humboldt penguins. The chance-overheard-conversation origin also turned the park into a promotional showcase for the Cornish sardine industry via a new on-site information board.
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