The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachussetts is treating an elderly African penguin called Pip with acupuncture.
Pip, a 29-year-old African penguin who hatched at the aquarium in 1997, has doubled the typical life expectancy of 10 to 15 years for African penguins in their native environment.
However, at the end of last year, the aquarium's trainers and veterinary staff noticed that Pip had an abnormal gait and was walking with a limp.
After treating him with various pain medications, the team decided to bring in a licensed acupuncturist, Claire McManus, who started working with Pip nine months ago.
Since then, Pip has appeared more relaxed, with veterinarians observing an improvement in his gait.
"Similar to humans, aging penguins commonly develop osteoarthritis or spinal disease that can lead to gait changes and discomfort,” said Melissa Joblon, director of animal health at the New England Aquarium.
"Using additional treatments such as acupuncture and physical therapy allows us to decrease the dosage of pain medications and can greatly improve an animal’s quality of life."
Eric Fox, the aquarium’s associate curator of penguins, said: "Pip has come such a long way in his training.
"He’s even offering to preen and court his trainers during treatments. These increasing signs of comfort help us provide the care he needs in a stress-free way."
Penguin care at aquariums
The New England Aquarium cares for 49 penguins, and previously enhanced its colony's enrichment activities. Before that, the aquarium moved its older birds to a retirement community.
African penguins are a critically endangered species whose populations continue to decline along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia, largely due to food shortages caused by overfishing and the impacts of climate change.
The New England Aquarium has looked after African penguins for decades and participates in several education and conservation initiatives.
