A DALTON zookeeper is gearing up for the challenge of a lifetime as she prepares to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the endangered penguin species she looks after.
ENDANGERED Some of the Humboldt penguins at South Lakes Wild Animal
Fiona Clewer, 28, has worked at South Lakes Wild Animal
Park for almost five years and hopes to reach the highest point in
Africa in January. She will make the climb alongside a group of 10 keepers from zoos
across the country, and is taking on the mission to raise funds for a
Humboldt penguin conservation project in Peru.
She said: “I’ve always been quite keen on climbing Kilimanjaro and I
wanted to do it before I got too old! It’s just a goal I’ve set myself. All my friends think I’m a combination of craziness and spontaneity, but they are being very supportive. The project has a couple of strands by protecting a specific area of
the coastline in Peru and by rehabilitating penguins that have been in
captivity, injured or housed as pets. David Gill [park owner] went out to Peru about five years ago and
found just nine penguins across a huge stretch of coast. The numbers are
going down quite dramatically so I think it’s a worthy cause to raise
money for.”
Mrs Clewer is a bird keeper at the popular tourist attraction but
says the Humboldt penguins are her “favorite” creature at the park. She is supporting the zoo’s bid to conserve the coast around Illescas Hill in north Peru. South Lakes Wild Animal Park is working alongside locals at a penguin
reintroduction programme and is helping protect and clean the coastal
area. The money she raises from sponsorship will go towards continued efforts to protect the species in the South American country.
Illegal commercial fishing in the area is a major factor behind the decline in numbers. Speaking about the physical strain of the mountain trek, Miss Clewer
said: “I already do a lot of sport like running and swimming but working
here probably is the best training possible! I think I’m well
prepared.”
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