When Lambert started losing his vision and slowing down, it became clear that he needed to move to a place where he could age safely and still be with his friends. But he couldn't be placed in just any nursing home—he's a critically endangered African penguin, reports the AP. Instead, the New England Aquarium in Boston, where the 33-year-old Lambert has lived his entire life, decided in February to open a geriatric island for him and its six other aging penguins. "Honestly, it sort of started off as a joke. It's like, 'Oh, well, why don't we give them an old folks home?'" said Eric Fox, a curator of penguins at the aquarium. "But the more we were looking at their welfare data and understanding what ailments they go through, what physical limitations they have, we started to realize that we were on to something."
The rocky island near the aquarium entrance is set apart from the rest of the 38-bird colony, ensuring the older penguins don't have to compete for territory with their often aggressive, younger peers. These penguins, with their trademark black and white feathers, stand about 2 feet tall and weigh about as much as a large house cat. The enclosure has some flatter topography and a carpeted path down to the water, which allows Lambert and the other penguins to better navigate up and down the island. The aquarium has built a stand in front of the island, which makes it easier for the penguins to hop out of the water. As a result, Mia Luzietti, a senior penguin trainer at the aquarium, said she has seen Lambert become more active since moving to the new island—swimming more with his mate and getting off the island more often.
The concept was inspired by a larger concern confronting zoos and aquariums—what to do when their animals are surviving far longer than their counterparts in the wild. Some African penguins are in their 30s, and one even lived into its 40s. That's twice as long as they would live in the wild. "Learning on an individual level how [we can] 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 way of life," Luzietti added.
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The older birds get more checkups, and veterinarians offer them treatment for ailments that might be familiar to older humans—such as supplements and anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis and joint pain, as well as eye drops for glaucoma. "We are just keeping a little closer of an eye on some of these older birds," Luzietti said. "It's important that we're picking up on those—from how someone's hips are moving, how they're walking, how they are acting, if someone's squinting. The smallest change day to day can be hiding a really big secret."
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