A Winchester wildlife park is set to p-p-p-perk up its penguins.

Marwell Wildlife has revealed plans to revamp its Penguin World attraction, which has been on site for 15 years.

The £250,000 development will see improvements including new accommodation, a larger viewing area for customers and a new nautical themed play area for children.

A spokesman for Marwell, based near Winchester, said: “Penguins arriving into, or departing from the colony need to spend a short time in isolation, so an extension to the existing building will provide new accommodation with pools, where our animal keepers can closely monitor the birds.”

There are currently 30 penguins at Marwell and they are one of the park’s major attractions. Two years ago, one of the birds made national news when it was fitted with its own wetsuit after losing its feathers meant it was in danger of sunburn.

Funding for the project was provided through a grant from the Thomas Stainer Trust.

Marwell aims to open the new look Penguin World by May in time for its 40th anniversary.

Humboldt penguins, the variety at Marwell, are not from the south polar regions, but originate from South America, where they breed on the Pacific coast islands of Peru and Chile.

They are named after the cold water current they usually swim in, which was also named after the German explorer, Alexander von Humboldt.

They can grow to 22-28 ins (56-70 cms) long, with a weight of 7-13 lbs (3.6 - 5.9 kgs).

The world population of the Humboldt penguin is around 12,000 breeding pairs, though this is declining in numbers due to habitat destruction In the wild, they feed on fish and squid.