New penguin names p-p-p-picked at Paultons Park
There was a public vote on what to call the new chicks born at the Hampshire theme park.
Last updated 8th Sep 2020
After a shortlist of names were chosen by youngsters under the care of Southampton Children's Hospital, it has been decided what the penguin chicks at Paultons Park will be called.
Pickle, Poppy and Peanut were the eventual winners, which saw thousands of votes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The names were suggested by Cassidy and Jack, who have since both been discharged from hospital.
They received a certificate and a penguin toy in commemoration.
Jeneen Thomsen, Joint Interim Director of Southampton Hospitals Charity said:
"The children at Southampton Children's Hospital had so much fun coming up with names for the penguin chicks at Paultons Park. They came up with so many options that we were glad to have the help of the public to choose the final three!
Cassidy and Jack are over the moon for their names to have won the vote and, now that they have been discharged as in-patients at the hospital, will look forward to visiting the park to see the penguins in due course."
The theme park has a colony of Humboldt Penguins, as one of their animal attractions around the site.
James Mancey, Operations Director at Paultons Park, said:
"We are delighted with the names that have been suggested and selected for our penguin chicks. We're even more pleased to hear that Cassidy and Jack have both recently been discharged from the Southampton Children's Hospital and are now happily and safely at home with their families.
We're proud to support Southampton Hospitals Charity as our nominated charity and thank them for their support and involvement in our recent penguin naming project."
The chicks arrived in April this year, to parents Betty and Percy.
Since the colony was established at Paultons Park, there have now been five new arrivals, which has been hugely important due to the declining numbers of Humboldts.
It's estimated there are only around 12,000 left in the wild.
Paultons Park has now reopened after being shut for a few months due to the pandemic, but can only welcome a limited number of people on site at one time.
You can find out more by visiting their website.