Photo by Chris Talbot on Unsplash
A Humboldt penguin chick at London Zoo has been given a very special name to celebrate a new partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).
Mildred hatched on 30 April and has been named after the hospital’s Mildred Creak Unit (MCU). Her arrival comes as London Zoo and GOSH begin working together to support children and young people during their treatment.
The two organisations will develop nature-based activities and psychological support designed around the needs of young patients. It is something children at the hospital have identified as particularly important, especially when long stays leave them feeling lonely or cut off from the outside world.
The partnership launches during the 200th anniversary year of ZSL, the conservation charity behind London Zoo.
To mark the occasion, children from the MCU visited Penguin Beach, where they fed the penguins, prepared enrichment activities and met Mildred for the first time. They also watched as the chick received her official identification band, which they had helped to design.
Carly Vassar, Chief of Mental Health at GOSH, said: “Children and young people at our hospital often have really challenging journeys, and they’ve told us they can feel lonely or isolated, which has a serious impact on their mental and physical health.”
As part of the partnership, London Zoo’s vets and zookeepers will show patients how animals experience many of the same medical procedures as people.
Children will be able to watch veterinary care and mindfulness videos through a specially curated nature channel on their bedside tablets. Where possible, they will also have opportunities to visit the zoo in person. The programme will also combine visits to London Zoo with digital experiences for children who are unable to leave the hospital.
By seeing animals having blood tests, X-rays and other examinations, the team hopes familiar medical procedures will feel less frightening.
Carly added: “Many of our patients need blood tests, provide stool samples, X-rays and lots of other procedures, which can be really worrying for them. We hope that by giving them the chance to see animals having the same tests it helps make them feel more normal and eases their anxiety in a new fun way.
“As we work up some of our workstreams such as procedural distress and poo at the zoo, we look forward to a co-production session with our young people’s forum later in the year to shape the future direction of this.”
