Good etiquette is expected at the meals of penguin colonies, but diners with the best manners are on a new special island for birds of a particular age.
There, you don't have to worry about young birds firing buckets of fish delivered by trainers at Boston's New England Aquarium.
“They don't all get pushed off the island by another animal they are eager to eat and don't rush to feel the time.
Six seabirds have moved to the island for “retired” penguins since opening in February. Their relocation is intended to address the numerous penguins in the aquarium living well beyond the ages expected to reach in the wild. About half of the aquarium's 40 African penguins are older than the average lifespan of a bird between 10 and 15 years, McMahon said, and some have doubled it.
Residents of what McMahon described as a “country club for older animals” are separated from the other three islands where young people live via underwater mesh gates.
They can still see fellow seabirds, but from the removal of a rugged rock island with little lament and noise.
“The birds are definitely quiet and there's less territory,” McMahon said. “I'll lie down a little longer and rest.”
Elderly penguins, primarily in their 30s, are undergoing close monitoring for diseases such as cataracts and arthritis. They are fed fish injected with excess water to promote kidney health and receive treatments such as eye drops and physical therapy. Some people receive acupuncture treatment.
“We wanted a space that was easy for our veterinary and training teams to observe on a daily basis,” McMahon said.
African penguins are a highly endangered species, and conservationists say they could be extinct by 2035. Wild penguins are found in coastal waters of South Africa and Namibia, where they face threats including overfishing, climate change and food depletion from pollution.
The average life expectancy of wild African penguins is likely not reflecting today's species reality, said Christina Hagen, Pamela Isdelfellor of Penguin Conservation at the South African Birdlife organization. (The group is trying to establish an African penguin colony in the wild.)
“The population is experiencing high levels of adult mortality, so it's likely that they haven't lived that long,” Hagen said.
New England Aquarium, a nonprofit conservation research institute home to more than 10,000 marine animals, is participating in efforts to protect and restore wild African penguin populations. Last year they sent one of their trainers to South Africa to help rehabilitate rescued wild African penguins, and planned to send another trainer this year.
Penguins in New England aquariums don't face the same threat as wild birds and are given specialized care, such as acupuncture, so they can live that long.
Dr. Melissa Jobron, director of animal health at the aquarium, said rare acupuncture is aimed at penguins with arthritis in the spine, and it hardly causes them to walk.
The penguins are placed on a small table in the room with the light gone down. Acupuncture cuppers who also work on humans place needles on the penguin's back, waist, and sometimes on the head. “Some of them just fall asleep with that,” Dr. Jobron said.
One of the penguins on the retirement island and the other trying to get in were undergoing surgery to remove their eyes.
Dr. Jobron said Penguin Lambert, 32, has glaucoma that causes pain before surgery and does not improve. On the retired Penguin Island, he was able to chase his partner, Dyer, 14, and navigate more comfortably. “He's going to bounce around the island like a young bird,” she said.
Another couple lives on the island (Harlequin, 32, Durban, 31), as well as two women without their peers (Boulder, 34, Isis, 29). One of the women, ISIS struggled to find her own space in the main colony, pushing against the more dominant birds. “This is an area where she can build her own space and feel more comfortable in her own home,” Dr. Jobron said.
Aquarium workers are considering ways to change the island to avoid penguins, who have limited mobility. They also hope that it will become a useful space for young birds to recover from medical problems.
Good Hope, 35, the oldest African penguin in the aquarium, and his companions, St. Croix, 23, will soon be relocating to the island. The aquarium has no plans to move to other birds afterwards, McMahon said, and that there are plans to make the group “harmonious.”
