Penguin Spneb oldest in the world
April 2025
‘Spneb’ now believed to be the oldest ‘Humboldt’s Penguin in the world!
According to records kept by zoos around the world, staff at Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Hayle, Cornwall, believe ‘Spneb’ is the oldest Humboldt’s Penguin at the grand old age of 37.
BELOW: Spnebs wonderful ice birthday cake topped with a fully toy penguin, made by Keeper Archie. A couple more photos at the bottom of the page including one of the recently hatched chicks.
Keeper Becky Waite comments “She will be celebrating her 37th Birthday on 16th April 2025 and is doing amazing well for her age. We have a colony of 24 Humboldt’s penguins including two chicks, and although she’s an elderly penguin, she continues to have a good appetite. She likes to keep an eye all the youngsters while looking out of her box and her favourite companion is one of the older males.”
Keeper Archie has made an amazing ice cake to celebrate the occasion. It features her favourite fish, which are sprats, and he used his creative flair including the use of food grade blue dye to set the nautical scene.”
Spneb hatched at Birdworld and came to Paradise Park shortly after in 1988.
Video clip – shows Spneb last year watching another penguin getting a fish from a bucket and then almost managing to steal it for herself !
Spneb’s name is a difficult one to pronounce, it is a fusion of the two types of medication she was on during some intense treatment back in 2007 when she developed a fungal disease called Aspergillosis (her name consists of a drug ‘Sp’ and a nebuliser ‘neb’). It took 4 months to treat, but apart from some minor scaring to her lungs she recovered well.
Book your visit to Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary to see Spneb this Easter Holiday HERE
BELOW: Spneb going for a swim.
BELOW: Spneb in the background with companion Prince in front.
Companion Prince can be seen in this video collecting stones for the nest hut >
PENGUIN WEBCAM
Watch the Paradise Park LIVE penguin pool webcam HERE
Additional Information
There are 18 species of penguin, all ideally adapted to life in water. They have streamlined bodies, tightly packed waterproof feathers and special digestion. They also have heavy bones to help them dive, and a layer of blubber for warmth. Flightless and ungainly on land, they reach great speeds underwater. Their tongues are covered in spines to grip slippery fish.
Some penguins make a small nest of sticks, others use burrows. The Humboldt’s carefully choose and arrange pebbles of just the right size before laying two white eggs. This species is endangered in the wild due to human interference & pollution.
BELOW: Is the ‘Meet the penguin colony’ information sign, with info about each character in the colony, hatch dates, fascinating facts and more!
BELOW: Photo of the first chick of this season (now have two) photographed by Keeper Olly. And see a video of chicks being weighed HERE
