Much like a nursing home, penguins at a Boston aquarium can age with dignity

BOSTON– When Lambert began to lose his vision and slow down a few steps, it became clear that he needed to be moved to a place where he could grow old safely while still being with his friends.

But he couldn’t be placed in just any retirement home because he is a critically endangered African penguin. Instead, the New England Aquarium in Boston, where Lambert, 33, was born and lived his entire life, decided in February to open a geriatric island for him and his six other aging penguins.

“Honestly, it started as a joke. It was like, ‘Oh, well, why don’t we give them a retirement home?'” said Eric Fox, assistant curator of penguins at the aquarium. “But the more we looked at their wellness data and understood what illnesses they have, what their physical limitations are, we started to realize we were on the right track.”

The rocky island near the aquarium entrance is isolated from the rest of the colony of 38 birds, ensuring that older penguins do not have to compete for territory with their younger, often aggressive peers. These penguins, with their distinctive black and white feathers, stand about 0.6 meters tall and weigh about as much as a large house cat.

The enclosure has a flatter topography and a carpeted path down to the water, making it easier for Lambert and the other penguins to navigate up and down the island. The aquarium has built a stand in front of the island, making it easier for the penguins to get out of the water.

As a result, Mia Luzietti, lead penguin trainer at the aquarium, said she has seen Lambert become more active since arriving on the new island – swimming more with his mate and leaving the island more often.

The concept was inspired by a larger concern facing zoos and aquariums around the world: what to do when their animals survive much longer than their wild counterparts. In the case of these African penguins, some are in their thirties and one lived into his forties. That’s twice as long as they would live in the wilds of South Africa and Namibia, due to threats such as pollution and lack of food due to human overfishing.

“It’s really important that as we learn how long these animals could live, if they’re given an optimal environment, that we evolve accordingly,” Luzietti said.

“So learning on an individual level how to best set our animals up for success is really what led to the idea of ​​creating our geriatric island, a place where our oldest penguins have a more comfortable, slower lifestyle while they spend their days here,” she added.

Caring for aging penguins goes well beyond a safer enclosure.

Older birds undergo more check-ups than their younger counterparts, and veterinarians offer them treatments for conditions that might be familiar to older humans, such as supplements and anti-inflammatories for arthritis and joint pain, as well as eye drops for glaucoma. There are also more cameras around the island, so staff can better monitor the birds.

“We’re just keeping a closer eye on some of these older birds,” Luzietti said. “It’s important that we become aware of these things, the way a person’s hips move, the way they walk, the way they behave, if someone squints. The smallest daily change can hide a very big secret.”

Recently, Luzietti was in the geriatric compound looking after Lambert – who seemed content to stand atop the island with his companion Dyer III, preening at each other and occasionally uttering a loud call that sounded like a donkey braying. He previously had his left eye removed due to an infection and suffers from glaucoma in his right eye. He also suffers from chronic inflammation.

Luzietti took him down from his perch, and soon he was sitting on her lap, preparing to receive his daily dose of eye drops.

A crowd had formed around the compound to watch, including Terri Blessman, a 69-year-old tourist from Canton, Illinois, who was being pushed in a wheelchair by her friend Lou Ann Delost. Hearing about Lambert’s age and the care he receives, Blessman said she can relate.

“It’s wonderful,” Blessman said. “All of us older people need additional care as we age. »