In honour of International Sushi Day on Friday Bristol Zoo Gardens teamed up with Deliveroo to give the penguin residents a special feed.

On Friday local sushi chef, Zhisu Lin, from Bristol’s Bento House brought a little fine dining magic to Bristol Zoo Gardens’ penguins.

Whilst sushi is generally made with rice and sauce, a very special and tasty sashimi style treat was prepared for the al la carte selection, with the penguins’ favourite fish feed - sprat - served up ‘sashimi style’.

There are a total of 18,000 African penguin breeding pairs left in the wild. A dramatic fall in numbers means that these penguins are now classified as endangered.

In support of Bristol Zoo Gardens, which reopened on April 12 after the third national lockdown, Deliveroo has provided a donation to Bristol Zoological Society, which is home to a diversity of species including small and large mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and fish. The contribution will help not only the zoo, but also its vital education and community outreach programme.

Natasha Graydon, PR Manager at Deliveroo said, “We loved making a special sprat delivery to the penguins at Bristol Zoo Gardens and are delighted to be supporting the colony of penguins that live there. We wanted to celebrate National Sushi Day in style and what better way to rave about raw fish than to share it with our fellow fish loving friends!”

Trevor Franks, Curator of Birds at Bristol Zoo Gardens, added: “It was a real treat for our penguins to receive this special sprat delivery and we are very grateful for the kind donation by Deliveroo.

“As a conservation and education charity, we rely on the generous support of the public and other donors and supporters, not only to fund our important work at Bristol Zoo Gardens, but also our vital education and community outreach programmes.”

To find out more about the penguins at Bristol Zoo Gardens, visit bristolzoo.org.uk/explore-the-zoo/african-penguins