Residents at Lovett Care’s Hilton House care home in Stoke on Trent were lucky enough to enjoy an extraordinary sensory experience when two Humboldt penguins, named Pringle and Widget, paid a visit.
It was the very last care home visit for the flightless black and white feathered birds, bringing an end to over a decade of penguin visits hosted by Heythrop Zoological Gardens where Pringle and Widget reside.
Accompanied by Barbara Marquez, an expert handler, Pringle and Widget spent the afternoon waddling around Hilton House and interacting with the residents. Gentle and social in nature, allowing for safe, engaging and close-up encounters, it was a truly memorable and fitting way to celebrate the human-animal bond and the many benefits of animal-assisted therapy.
After 50 years, Heythrop Zoological Gardens will soon close. The private zoo, has, over the years strived to educate on animal welfare and behaviour, as well as advance animal training standards worldwide. Its penguins are a multi-generation captive-bred. They are a social species, as well as placid, which makes them perfect for sensory experiences within a care setting.
Commenting on the penguin visit, Gemma Vaughan, home manager at Hilton House, says: “We were honoured to welcome Pringle and Widget to Hilton House for their last ever care home visit. The penguins were incredible; they waddled around the home freely and allowed residents to touch, stroke and hold them. It was a very special activity and lovely to see the residents smile, enjoying the sounds the penguins made as they went from room to room.
“Pringle and Widget have left a lasting impression at Hilton House; amazing memories have been made, and I am sure the penguins will come up in conversation for many months!”
Sheila Wrench, resident at Hilton House, says: “Pringle and Widget were amazing. I loved watching them waddle around. To have two penguins come to visit me is something I never expected!”
Jeff Hill, another Hilton House resident, adds: “Today was very special. To see a penguin up close and touch its feathers was magical. Pringle and Widget brought lots of joy and fun to the home.”
Jim Clubb, Director of Heythrop Zoological Gardens, concludes: “It really is the end of an era. We have thoroughly enjoyed training all of our Humboldt penguins over the last 10 years or so, and the care home visits, such as the one to Lovett Care’s Hilton House, are always incredibly rewarding for the team. As we close the zoo, the penguin colony will all be re-homed together in a private collection here in the UK. We are very happy with their new surroundings and know they will go on to breed and prosper with their new carers.”
