The Courier has teamed up with Blair Drummond Safari Park to offer readers the chance to win a family pass for two adults and two children each week - and learn a bit more about their residents at the same time.
This week, the safari park celebrated the birthday of one of its most famous residents - its old bachelor penguin Pete.
Pete just turned 19 years old on on Tuesday May 3, and is one of the park’s best loved residents due to his loving personality and dramatic back story.
Park education officer Jamie-Leigh Green said: “Many people often assume that penguins always
mate for life...but this is not necessarily true.
“Occasionally a female penguin may leave her partner if she thinks her chances of having a chick are better with a younger, fitter model.
“Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to dear old Pete when his partner of many years decided to leave him and shack up with the penguin next door!
“Don’t be too sad for Pete though, as he absolutely loves being a single man and shows no signs of settling down again any time soon.
“Pete is very close with his keepers, and can often be seen trying to enter the kitchen area in order to hang out with them.
“All twelve of the penguins we have here at the park are Humboldt penguins. Of the eighteen recognised species of penguin, Humboldt penguins fall somewhere in the middle height-wise coming in at around 65-72cm tall. At the top end of the scale, you have Emperor penguins which can be as tall as 1.3m, and at the bottom end are Fairy penguins which are a tiny 30cm tall.
“Everyone of course knows that penguins are black and white, but interestingly very few people know why. This colouration is a form of camouflage called countershading. Countershading helps protect penguins from predators both above and below. The black of the back helps penguins in the water to avoid detection by sealions as it blends in with the dark depths of the water.
“Meanwhile, the white of the belly will blend in with the white of the clouds in the sky, making it difficult for sharks to spot them below.”
Blair Drummond Safari Park is open seven days a week, from 10am until 5.30pm. Tickets can be booked online at blairdrummond.com.
For a chance to win a family pass, which can be used any one day during the park’s opening season this year, just answer the following question: What is the name of the smallest species of penguin?
Send the coupon with your answer, name, address and contact number to: Safari Park Competition, West Lothian Courier, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 9DA. The deadline is Wednesday at 4pm. Only original vouchers will be accepted, no photocopies.
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