A team of scientists at the New England Aquarium in Boston recently created a retirement home for a flock of older penguins.
The idea behind “geriatric island” is to build a more relaxed environment for aging African penguins away from the more competitive, active whipper snappers.
The oldest penguin at the aquarium is 36, which is rare, said Eric Fox, associate curator of penguins at the aquarium.
“ Their typical life expectancy in the wild is 10 to 15 [years], but over 50% of our colony has actually met that or exceeded that currently,” Fox said, “so we have a lot of old birds with a lot of individual needs.”
What is geriatric island all about?
“ Honestly, it’s kind of like personalized senior care for humans, but in penguin form.
“So when you think about assisted living, it comes along with its activity coordinators. We, as trainers, are constantly looking at how to make sure that every day is a little bit different for our birds, that they’re challenged in ways that are healthy for them, that they’re making decisions and that we’re providing the right level of care for them.
“We also have, if you will, the meal coordinators with individual preferences in mind, different medication regimens. You name it, we are providing it for the birds to live out this last stage of their lives as comfortably as possible.”
The seven birds on the island have things like arthritis, glaucoma, cataracts and calluses. How do you tell what’s wrong with them and then get them care?
“ We’re spending all day with our colony of penguins. We’re in there in the exhibit with them from early morning to late evening, and we are monitoring their behaviors, their general physical state. We’re making sure that any small signs that they’re moving a little bit slower or they’re making different decisions than usual, or they’re maybe skipping a meal here or there. We’re pointing that all out and working closely with our veterinary staff to make sure that we can provide the care that they may need. They’re really good at hiding any signs of illness.
“ They have something called a preservation reflex. They’re a prey species, penguins in the wild. If they show a sign that they’re not up to speed, they might get picked off by a predator. Even within zoos and aquariums, we see them really, really showing a resilience that’s difficult to understand unless you get to know them on the individual level.”
Good Hope is 36 years old. How’s he doing?
“ He’s doing great. He’s one of our one-eyed penguins. After many different treatment options, we did decide to medically intervene to provide him the comfort that he needed. His other eye currently is treated for discomfort. Older birds can get things like glaucoma. But he’s still kicking.
“He has got his mate there with him. Her name is St. Croix. She’s a little bit of a younger lady. She’s 24 years old. And he’s getting that same individualized care that every other bird got. And we’re seeing him really, really thriving on this new location with the new standard of care that we’re providing.”
What’s going on in the vocalization between the couple Lambert and Dyer?
“ This is all courtship, really great signs to see. We wanna see that behavioral diversity even in older penguins. And so basically they’re telling each other they’re really excited to see each other. They had just returned from a morning swim and were kind of reclaiming that territory.
“They live right close to Good Hope and St. Croix, so they’re kind of claiming their spot. Good Hope responded by vocalizing towards them, and they’re just kind of setting those territorial boundaries as the rest of the day carries on.”
African penguins are critically endangered. What’s their situation right now in the wild?
“Unfortunately, it’s not looking bright. They are predicted to go extinct by 2035 if nothing is done to slow the decline. It’s really unfortunate news, and it’s related to their ability to catch enough fish to be able to survive. Overfishing, climate change, it’s working together to make life hard, and we’re finding that in the optimal conditions they live in here with us, they’re making it to these ages that haven’t been reported before. We’re seeing how penguins in great states can survive. And so we’re really, really understanding more about this species in the hopes that we can inform science, inform conservation efforts to really help this natural population rebound.”
____
Jenna Griffiths produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Allison Hagan adapted it for the web.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2025 WBUR