Humans aren’t the only ones who find their joints creakier as they get older.
The New England Aquarium says an elderly penguin resident named Pip is waddling more comfortably now thanks to the help of acupuncture.
Penguin trainer Mia Luzietti says they noticed Pip walking with a limp.
“It’s definitely osteoarthritis and we are monitoring his muscle tightness, how he’s moving, how his legs are walking,” Luzietti said. “As a 29-year-old, he’s about triple life expectancy to what his distant relatives are living out in Africa.”
Luzietti says Pip, who has a strong personality, is responding positively to the acupuncture treatment.
“He’s very strong, very territorial,” she said. “But it’s like acupuncture’s brought out this soft side to him sometimes, and he relaxes into it. You can almost see in real time those muscles relaxing. It’s just been great.”
The treatments are being done by Claire McManus, who has treated other penguins and sea turtles at the aquarium in the past.
The New England Aquarium has created a “retirement home” for some of its older penguins who require additional assistance and an easier-to-navigate environment. But despite his age, Pip hasn’t needed to graduate to that habitat.
“You look at Pip and you’re like, ‘That bird can’t be 30.’ He’s huge and strong and is keeping up with the 2- and 3-year-olds that we have on habitat, regardless of any arthritis that he has.”
African penguins are a critically endangered species, declining in numbers in the wild. The aquarium says that’s the result of depletion of food from overfishing and climate change.
“Birds like Pip are struggling to find food out in their natural habitat,” Luzietti said. “And so Pip’s an amazing success story because he lives here at New England Aquarium, and we can provide that individualized care. But I think it’s so important to draw that back to this critically endangered species that really needs our help.”
