Spneb the Humboldt penguin celebrates 38th birthday with special ice cake in UK

7 articles · Updated · Good News Network · Apr 28

Spneb, believed to be the world’s oldest Humboldt penguin, marked her 38th birthday at Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Cornwall on April 16.
Keepers celebrated with an ice cake topped with Cornish sardines and sprats, presenting it to Spneb in front of visitors and fellow penguins.
Despite her age, Spneb remains active and inquisitive, having survived a serious fungal infection in 2007 thanks to medication that inspired her name.

Spneb lived to 38 in a sanctuary. What does this reveal about the harsh realities facing her wild counterparts?

Spneb dines on Cornish sardines. How does feeding wild-caught fish to captive animals impact struggling ocean ecosystems?

Spneb's name comes from her life-saving drugs. What can her rare survival story teach us about treating emerging wildlife diseases?

Does celebrating one captive penguin's record age mask the ethical dilemmas of keeping wild animals in artificial habitats?

Described as 'feathery neighbourhood watch,' what social roles do older penguins play within their colonies, both wild and captive?

Chile declared the penguin a natural monument. Can this new legal status actually save the species from industrial fishing fleets?