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Headline: Long Distance Penguin Family Facetime From The UK To Australia For World Penguin Day

Caption: Sky, the absent-minded penguin at the National Sea Life Centre Birmingham, has been keeping her parents, bossy sister and extended family across the globe up to date on her cheeky antics on World Penguin Day (25 April), via Facetime! Penguins at Sea Life Centres across Australia and New Zealand including Melbourne, Sydney, and Kelly Tarlton’s, took part in the calls from the National Sea Life Centre Birmingham in the UK, which saw its resident Sky talking to her family 10,000 miles away. "Sky came to us from Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium and has always been a very distracted and clumsy penguin! She often needs a bit of steering from her pals to keep her out of mischief and this is where her parents, Meanbird and Goofy, and her bossy sister, Nella, have come in handy in the past," said Birmingham’s Penguin Keeper Hayley Roberts. "She’s settled in brilliantly with her penguin chums here in Birmingham and her new partner, Brik, is now the one keeping her on the straight and narrow!" "With it being World Penguin Day, we thought it would be a great opportunity for Sky to show her family how far she’s come – and much like many teens who go travelling, reassure her attentive parents and sister she’s eating well and is washing behind her ears - or beak!" Sky’s extended family across the Sea Life sites in Australia and New Zealand have enjoyed the novelty of seeing her on Facetime, too. "Nella loved seeing her sister Sky on screen," said Sea Life Sydney’s General Manager, Richard Dilly. "At first, the birds were apprehensive with this new toy in their enclosure but once they saw their brothers and sisters across the globe they couldn’t wait to get up close!" Gentoo penguins were near threatened on the IUCN list and are part of Sea Life’s Breed Rescue Protect programme, whereby the penguin gene pool is diversified by the movement of penguins across the globe. The programme includes 19 different Sea Life attractions and over 400 penguins, ranging over five different species including: Humboldt, Gentoo, King, Little & African penguins. Since beginning the programme, the threat level for the Gentoo species has reduced to least concern.

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