Hamleys toy store on Regent Street have an unusual distraction for Christmas shoppers this year - what they describe as a 'real-life penguin pool'. And in that real-life penguin pool will be 'real-life penguins'.
you will be able to see the penguins swim, interact with their friends and be fed at tea time!
To some, this will be a delightful spectacle. But others, such as Socialholic, find it 'disgusting' that animals are being used for entertainment in this way.
Sadly, these animals can’t ‘magic’ into central London, so they will face a pretty horrendous journey in to the city too – where they will also be stressed...This is, in my opinion, disgusting. It teaches children that animals are worthless and putting some through this misery for a laugh is acceptable.
Debate is now raging in the comments over there about whether the show is cruel, or a harmless day-trip for the already zoo-based avians.
Details about the event, which was to take place on 6 December, appear to have now been removed from the store's site, but is still available in cache.
Image from Secretlondon123 in the Londonist Flickr pool.
