The New England Aquarium in Boston is providing more enrichment activities for its penguin colony of all ages.
The aquarium's new focus on mental and physical stimulation for its penguins came after it moved its older birds to a retirement community.
The island is separate from the main colony, and provides a comfortable and calm environment for the birds.
More than half of the aquarium’s penguin colony has met or surpassed their typical life expectancy of 10–15 years in the wild.
But staff have made exhibit enhancements and introduced enrichment activities for its oldest and youngest penguins.
“It’s important that we think about helping our animals live their most fulfilled lives, and that includes behavior,” said Mia Luzietti, the aquarium’s senior penguin trainer and enrichment coordinator.
“We want the penguins to make their own choices and have control in their environment so that it is as stimulating as possible.”
Enrichment activities include sensory, auditory and visual experiences.
Bray, a two-year-old African penguin, enjoys painting, while one-year-old African penguin FitzPatrick likes looking at himself in the mirror.
Stimulating environments for penguins
Other young penguins in the colony play tug of war, while 27-year-old African penguin In-Guza likes to explore the aquarium's fish habitats.
“We have a variety of behaviors we’re looking to encourage, whether it’s exercise, exploration, manipulation, or foraging,” Luzietti said.
“Even play. It’s a natural behavior for these species, and so we use the enrichment to try to get creative and mix things up.”
As for 33-year-old African penguin Lambert, he is more willing to swim after taking part in enrichment activities, and with habitat enhancements.
The aquarium has created ramps that accommodate him so he can navigate down the cushioned PVC surface of the geriatric island, then use tactile mats to get to the water below.
Staff at the aquarium also provide Lambert with one-on-one training sessions.
The team will now start training the broader geriatric penguin population to benefit from the island.
Images courtesy of the New England Aquarium
