African penguins are an endangered species with a life expectancy of 10 – 15 years in the wild. Penguins in the care of the New England Aquarium can live to twice that age. Like us, geriatric penguins need different levels of care, so the aquarium has created a separate island habitat for its older residents.
"In the wild, they would never reach this age," said Diana Major, penguin manager at the Aquarium. "A lot of the time, we see physical issues that we normally wouldn't see in the wild because, in the wild, if you slow down you get eaten by a shark."
The penguins on the "assisted living" island receive food with extra water injected into them to ward off kidney issues, and acupuntucture and physical therapy as needed. The island is designed with the older penguins' mobility needs in mind and will continue to be modified to make their lives easier. The youngest penguin in the new habitat is 14-year-old Dyer, who moved in with her mate, Lambert, while the oldest is 35.
Because everything is terrible right now and baby animals always make things better, here is a video of some of the chicks from last year.
Previously: Watch these penguins belly-flop off a 50-foot cliff
