An update on one of our penguins: Ratchet

The team at SEA LIFE London Aquarium are very sad to share the news that Ratchet, one of two geriatric gentoo penguins at the aquarium, and among the oldest gentoos in the UK, has passed away.

Ratchet was 31 years old, a remarkably long life for a gentoo penguin, whose average lifespan is 15-20 years.

Ratchet was part of our gentoo colony, a group of animals who help to highlight the ever-growing challenges faced by wild penguins. Working with penguins has enabled our teams to develop expert specialist animal care skills that have been used around the world for both penguin rescue and scientific discoveries.

Ratchet was extremely well loved by our team and visitors alike and will be deeply missed.