Drusillas names new penguins after Brighton and Hove Albion stars

A waddle of seven penguins from Woodside Zoo Lincoln, and three from Twycross Zoo, were ‘transferred’ to team Drusillas, and keepers are delighted with how well they have settled in.

Drusillas invited Brighton’s very own mascot, Gully, to the zoo to meet the team’s namesakes and fling them some fish in a specially arranged penguin experience. Crowds of visitors watched as Gully cheekily tried to steal the fish before offering them to his fellow feathered friends who loved meeting the much-loved character.

The Seagulls players that have honoured with a namesake are: Lewis Dunk, Jason Steele, Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma, Adam Webster, Pascal Gross, Joel Veltman and Julio Enciso as well as manager Robert De Zerbi.

In a statement Drusillas Park said: “We recently welcomed a squad of ten new penguin ‘transfers’ to the Drusillas team, and in honour of the 'flipping good' performance of Brighton & Hove Albion FC last season, we chose to name them after some of the players.

“Introducing: De Zerbi, Steele, Webster, Enciso, Dunk, March, Gross, Mitoma, Veltman, and Ferguson.

“Brighton’s own mascot, Gully, came along to welcome his fellow feathered teammates in a specially arranged penguin feeding experience and we LOVED meeting him! (even though he did try to steal some of the fish )

“Our beautiful new penguins are settling in brilliantly and have made fast friends with our existing colony, which keepers are thrilled to see.

“Come along and meet our new players, and all the team here wish Brighton the best of luck in the Europa League

Humboldt penguins are found off the coast of Chile and Peru and are named after the cold Humboldt current of the region. They mate for life and live together with their partners in huge colonies. You can recognise them by their distinctive tuxedo-like black and white markings, and each bird has a unique pattern of spots on their bellies, which they can be identified by – just like our fingerprints.

Each of the penguins also wears a special armband to identify them, so visitors can try and spot their favourite player’s namesake while they watch the penguins play.