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| Bristol zoo asks John Lewis to help its penguin appeal – the answer is no | |
| (36 minutes later) | |
| When Bristol zoo urgently needed help to raise money for orphaned penguins this Christmas, one company stood out – a large retailer that has based its festive promotional campaign around a lonely, flightless bird with a fondness for fish. But then came the twist: John Lewis said no. | When Bristol zoo urgently needed help to raise money for orphaned penguins this Christmas, one company stood out – a large retailer that has based its festive promotional campaign around a lonely, flightless bird with a fondness for fish. But then came the twist: John Lewis said no. |
| Bristol Zoological Society this month started an appeal for £20,000 to help care for African penguin chicks abandoned by their parents and being cared for at a rehabilitation centre in South Africa, a project led by the zoo. | Bristol Zoological Society this month started an appeal for £20,000 to help care for African penguin chicks abandoned by their parents and being cared for at a rehabilitation centre in South Africa, a project led by the zoo. |
| The species is endangered, with the population falling 70% between 2001 and 2013 and fewer than 18,000 breeding pairs left in the wild in South Africa. A lack of action could end in extinction, the zoo has said. | |
| Every year many chicks are abandoned by parents foraging for food, with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds outside Cape Town usually taking in about 450 over a three-month period. But this year the centre has seen 460 arrive in November alone. | |
| As part of the appeal, which has so far raised £1,330, the zoo contacted John Lewis, whose 2014 Christmas advert about a young boy seeking company for his solitary penguin friend, Monty, has been watched nearly 18m times on YouTube. | As part of the appeal, which has so far raised £1,330, the zoo contacted John Lewis, whose 2014 Christmas advert about a young boy seeking company for his solitary penguin friend, Monty, has been watched nearly 18m times on YouTube. |
| A spokeswoman for the zoo said: “We did approach them at the end of last week about the possibility of some help, in the light of their Christmas advertisement. We asked if there was anything they could do – whether in terms of money, or just some support to help raise the profile of the campaign. They were perfectly polite, and wished us the best of luck, but said they were unable to help.” | A spokeswoman for the zoo said: “We did approach them at the end of last week about the possibility of some help, in the light of their Christmas advertisement. We asked if there was anything they could do – whether in terms of money, or just some support to help raise the profile of the campaign. They were perfectly polite, and wished us the best of luck, but said they were unable to help.” |
| While the zoo might have been surprised, it is not disheartened and hopes that an imminent gala dinner could boost the appeal. “We’re just going hell for leather, trying to raise as much as we can,” the spokeswoman said. | While the zoo might have been surprised, it is not disheartened and hopes that an imminent gala dinner could boost the appeal. “We’re just going hell for leather, trying to raise as much as we can,” the spokeswoman said. |
| A John Lewis spokeswoman said the store received large numbers of charitable requests and had already partnered with the wildlife charity WWF to help to protect the Antarctic habitat of the Adélie penguins, the breed on which Monty and his Christmas companion, Mabel, are based. | A John Lewis spokeswoman said the store received large numbers of charitable requests and had already partnered with the wildlife charity WWF to help to protect the Antarctic habitat of the Adélie penguins, the breed on which Monty and his Christmas companion, Mabel, are based. |
| She said: “All profits from the CD sales of our Christmas advert single, Real Love by Tom Odell, are going to WWF’s Adopt a Penguin Programme. Since the campaign launched on 6 November, more than 1,500 adoptions have been released by WWF, a significant increase from this time last year. | She said: “All profits from the CD sales of our Christmas advert single, Real Love by Tom Odell, are going to WWF’s Adopt a Penguin Programme. Since the campaign launched on 6 November, more than 1,500 adoptions have been released by WWF, a significant increase from this time last year. |
| “As I’m sure Bristol zoo explained, we passed on our apologies that we are unable to help on this occasion and wish them the best of luck with their campaign.” | |
| Francois Lowe, a coordinator at the South Africa centre, told the Guardian the chicks from colonies at Stony Point and Boulder’s Beach had also been arriving in worse condition than usual. “There are slightly weaker, and therefore we have to protect them for a longer time. A large amount weren’t in a great state,” he said. | |
| It is not clear why the chicks are being abandoned in greater number, but the centre believes the most likely theory is that the parents were not finding fish earlier in the year and delayed their breeding season. | |
| The centre has also been hit by the high price of fish at this time of year. The A-grade pilchards, of which the conservationists feed 25 tonnes to the chicks each season, has gone up in price from around 13-14 rand (75p to 80p) a kilogram to 17.25. “Coupled with the added cost for treating the slightly worse chicks we are in quite a squeeze,” Lowe said. | |
| Readers can donate to the Bristol zoo penguin appeal here. | Readers can donate to the Bristol zoo penguin appeal here. |