Sofus, the sea lion at Edinburgh Zoo, is moving out, and the sealion enclosure will become home to penguins instead.
Darren McGarry, Head of Animals at Edinburgh Zoo, said:
“It is with a mixture of emotions that we’d like to announce that Sofus, the six year old Patagonian sea lion currently living at Edinburgh Zoo, will move to Lodz Zoo in Poland at the beginning of February.
“Miranda our female sea lion passed away a couple of months ago, so we’re delighted to be able to have found him a new home with two other females of breeding age, Kasia and Dolly. He will be much happier with companions and will hopefully father pups in the future.
“Our existing sea lion enclosure is also a very old construction that has come to the end of its lifespan. To create a modern facility is estimated to cost in the region of £1 million.
“The old enclosure is now all set to be transformed into a new home for our existing colony of Northern Rockhopper penguins. Our 19 birds will shortly be joined by 11 new birds from Vienna which will provide an influx of differing genetics.
“Facing a risk of extinction in the wild, we’re hoping new additions to the Rockhopper colony, and a new enclosure tailored to their needs, will be the boost our Northern Rockhoppers need to start breeding successfully.”
