Penguins 'trapped in a basement' without sunlight at Sea Life London are to be moved to Birmingham in 2028

At just six to seven feet, the London pool is a fraction of the depth wild gentoos reach in the ocean — beyond 600 feet.

Ratchet, one of the London colony, died earlier this year aged 31.

Freedom for Animals' Laura Walton said the penguins 'deserve far more than a lifetime behind barriers'.

Merlin Entertainments will begin a £2.5m rebuild at the National Sea Life Centre in 2027, uniting London's 14 gentoo penguins with Birmingham's 17. The new 115-square-metre habitat promises daylight and a deep end more than three times the current size. The move follows a campaign backed by 75 MPs, Born Free and Freedom for Animals. Merlin has also pledged to end gentoo breeding at its UK sites.