POOLE man Adrian Walls, now head bird keeper at ZSL London Zoo has a starring role in a new ITV documentary being aired this Sunday.

Meet the Penguins sees Adrian, formerly of Belmont Road, Poole on his quest to see endangered Humboldt penguins in their native habitat of Peru in South America.

Having cared for penguins at the zoo for over a decade, Adrian, a former pupil of Ashdown Technology College at Canford Heath, harboured a life-long dream to see the flightless birds in the wild.

Their numbers have dropped drastically in recent years following over-harvesting of the guano on which they build their nests, being accidentally caught by fishermen and natural disasters.

Recently recovering from an operation to treat a rare brain tumour, Adrian jumped at the opportunity to visit his favourite animals in Peru.

Travelling from the capital Lima to penguin stronghold Punta San Juan in Marcona, he saw firsthand the challenges faced by those working tirelessly to protect Peru's penguins.

“I am utterly fascinated and enchanted by all bird species, but penguins have always held a special place in my heart, and I feel so lucky to have been able to see them in the wild," said Adrian. "My journey to Peru was one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

“Despite working with these birds every day at ZSL London Zoo I still felt a huge thrill when I first saw them in the wild, and to witness a chick hatching from an egg was simply exhilarating – it really put the huge efforts of the conservationists working to protect them into context.

“Having the camera focussed on me 24/7 took some getting used to, but I can’t wait to tune in on Sunday and relive my Peruvian penguin adventure.”

Adrian started his career in bird keeping at Merley Bird Gardens and manages a large team looking after more than 100 different species of birds.

The documentary is being shown at 7pm.