PREVIEW

Humboldt penguins at West Midlands Safari Park got into the Easter spirit — with their own egg-themed treats laid on by keepers.

Staff swapped the usual morning feed for the colony of 15 birds for a seasonal surprise, filling their habitat with a mix of floating and hidden eggs.

Smaller eggs were tossed into the pool, turning it into a lively playground as the inquisitive penguins chased, nudged and bobbed them across the surface — a display of their natural agility in the water.

Larger eggs, packed with fish, were meanwhile hidden around the enclosure to create an Easter egg hunt.

Once discovered, the tasty rewards proved too tempting to resist — encouraging the penguins’ natural foraging instincts while keeping them active and engaged.

Deputy Head Keeper of the Discovery Trail, Vicky McFarlane, said, “We are always looking for egg-citing new enrichment items for our colony of Humboldt penguins - they can be quite p-p-p-picky with what they want to interact with. Thankfully the penguins were in the mood for celebrating Easter with some colourful egg toys! We all enjoy some eggs-tra snacks for Easter and the penguins are no egg-ception. The greedier penguins enjoyed some fish in their egg hunt while the younger penguins love playing with small, floating egg toys in the water, which is a great way to get some energy out of them during the bank holiday weekend!”

Presenting food and objects in this way is known as enrichment — a key part of animal care that encourages natural behaviours such as hunting, problem-solving and exploration, while adding a festive twist to the park’s Easter celebrations.