With much of the world still in lockdown, it’s fair to say that many businesses and organizations are still struggling. For many months, this was the case for zoos across the United Kingdom, who were deemed as non-essential in the current climate. However, without any visitors making their way through the door and animals to feed, one particular zoo found itself facing extinction. That’s until one icy supermarket stepped in to help.
Closing Up Shop
Chester Zoo is a hugely popular zoo in the UK, but due to the rules and regulations regarding lockdown, they had to close up shop when the pandemic shocked the nation. Just because they weren’t inviting visitors to check out their animals and exhibits didn’t mean that they were able to sit back and relax, though. Zookeepers still needed to be on hand to feed the animals and keep them entertained, and this comes at a cost.
Facing The Worst
As rules prevented them from opening for months on end, Chester Zoo had to face the worst. Without any money to keep them going, they reached out to fans, former visitors, and animals to help them out. They received a huge number of donations, but they were also blown away by the generosity of other businesses – such as supermarkets. One particular supermarket, Iceland, decided to adopt all of the Humboldt penguins that live there.
Keeping Them Safe
While there are no Humboldt penguins in Iceland, this supermarket is associated with all things frozen – which is what these animals love. So, keeping them safe and fed was a no-brainer for the managing director. In fact, Richard Walker often took his children to Chester Zoo, and he knew how important it was to the local community, the animals, and the zoo as a whole.
Thankfully, Chester Zoo has now been allowed to open again, but with strict social distancing measures in place.