Friday, November 06, 2009, 09:10
TWO emblems from Torquay's wildlife attraction at Living Coasts are heading as far south as it is possible.
Two adventurers are taking a Living Coasts flag and Penguin Academy T-shirts to the South Pole as part of a bid to rack up a polar first.
The pair, John Wilton-Davies and Justin Miles, both from Exeter, are planning to do the first 4,500km unassisted, unsupported ski expedition from the ice edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back in November 2010.
And as part of their preparations they visited Living Coasts to meet penguins and to learn more about conservation work.
A Living Coasts spokesman said the two explorers are building links with education and conservation bodies.
"What better way for Living Coasts to flag up its conservation work with penguins and other coastal species than by having its name taken, quite literally, to the ends of the Earth?
"We wish them well on this incredibly journey and we look forward to seeing them flying the flag for Living Coasts at the South Pole."
The Penguin Academy is a computer game which be can played both at Living Coasts and online.
Living Coasts donates money to the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds as African penguins are declining due to a lack of food blamed on over-fishing and possible climate change.
It also contributes to a conservation and research programme set up by Bristol Zoo to find a way to artificially establish new colonies closer to the fish stocks.
It is part of the European breeding programme for African penguins.
John said: "Penguins survive in the harshest of environments and we wanted to see what we could learn from them.
"We were interested in the way that penguins group together to share body heat and protect themselves from the wind, though this can be a bit of a push and shove experience."
Source:
http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/Explorers-learn-penguins-push-shove-experience/article-1489743-detail/article.html
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