SEA LIFE Birmingham unveils the Pecky Blinders!

By order of the Pecky Blinders! National SEA LIFE Birmingham has revealed an adorable gang of penguins who bare an uncanny resemblance to the infamous Shelby gang from hit TV show Peaky Blinders, which incidentally the beaked bunch love to watch.

In anticipation of the latest and final instalment of Peaky Blinders, National SEA LIFE Birmingham, situated in the same city as the BBC TV series, has shared images of its flippered family paying homage to the city’s most infamous crime crooks – without the illegal shenanigans!

Buzz the gentoo penguin is always in control of the waddle, keeping an ice cool head under pressure and a loyal leader, just like the iconic lead character, Tommy Shelby.

However, at the opposite end of the scale, Tommy’s brother Arthur is renowned for not always following the rules, like SEA LIFE Birmingham’s Monty. Monty can be often found up to no good and has a reputation for going wild from time to time.

Polly Shelby demonstrates strong resilience and unwavering care for her family throughout the show, much like Hook the penguin who takes on the mother role of the penguin pack and is extremely protective.

Another female gentoo penguin, Tina, is very similar to Shelby’s sister Ada putting on a strong and independent front amongst the other boisterous penguins.

Elsewhere Prince is one of the most intelligent out the colony, keen to impress the others and demonstrate his skills, thus bearing a striking resemblance to Michael from the hit series.

And just like the younger Shelby siblings John and Finn, Rex and Niffler are trusting and loyal but also need a fair bit of looking after from the rest of the group!

Gentoo penguins are known for forming strong long-lasting bonds, with the parents regarded as highly nurturing creatures. What’s more, the flightless birds form sizable colonies of adults that stick together, so it’s easy to see the likeness to the Peaky Blinders.

Amy Langham, General Manager of SEA LIFE Birmingham said: “Here in Birmingham, the Peaky Blinders is a really big deal and at SEA LIFE, we have our very own Pecky Blinders who are known for stirring up just as big of a storm.

“The super cute crew are not nearly as gang like as their human counterparts, however, they do like to ruffle a few feathers from time to time. All the team at SEA LIFE Birmingham are eager to watch the latest series of the iconic TV show and so are our gentoo penguins.”

And whilst the biggest threat to Tommy Shelby might be the long arm of the law, gentoo penguins have a worldwide problem because of an even greater issue, climate change. These adorable birds are under threat, as in the wild they are constantly having to move habitats to new environments where there is an increased competition for food and nesting materials from other penguin colonies.

To learn more about the conservation of gentoo penguins and to meet Birmingham’s infamous Pecky Blinders, book your trip online via the National SEA LIFE Birmingham website: https://www.visitsealife.com/birmingham/