Latest news with #KristenMcMahon
CBC
20-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Elderly penguins are retiring in style on their own island at this Boston aquarium
The senior African penguins at the New England Aquarium in Boston have received their own island, where they are fed restaurant-grade fish and vitamins, and get pampered with acupuncture and physiotherapy sessions. This new set-up comes after the senior swimmers had a hard time fighting for their food and space with the younger penguins. "Animals, especially penguins, can be territorial, especially during nesting seasons or breeding seasons," Kristen McMahon, curator of pinnipeds and penguins for the animal care team at the New England Aquarium, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "Older animals are a bit less engaged with territory behaviour." Because animals in captivity live much longer than their wild counterparts, aquariums and zoos are coming up with new methods to take care of aging animals, while working toward conservation of endangered species. Getting grey feathers The life expectancy of the African penguins ranges between 10 to 15 years in the wild. Some of the New England Aquarium residents are doubling that. The oldest, Good Hope, is 35. Residents of the island include Harlequin, 32, Durban, 31, Boulder, 34, Isis, 29, Lambert, 32 and Dyer, 14. Good Hope and his partner, St. Croix, 23, will be joining them soon. McMahon says the penguins have survived so long because of their diet, and the lack of human threat and pollution. "They have many predators [in the wild] that will pick off animals that are a little older or that move a little slower," MacMahon said. "We give these animals individualized care, and our top priority is animal welfare." That kind of personalized care, she says, "is the key to longevity." With age comes mobility problems, which made it hard for these geriatric penguins to get food on the main island, where younger penguins would push them out of the way during feeding sessions. To help with mobility issues, vets at the aquarium give the older penguins acupuncture or physical therapy so they can continue swimming along. "Some of our older birds have spinal issues," Dr. Melissa Joblon, director of animal health, explained to the CBC. "So we'll move their legs and joints and limbs around in different ways … to increase their range of motion." Joblon said the penguins also have an obstacle course on their island to keep them moving. An endangered species According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, African penguins are an endangered species. The New England Aquarium aims to combat this by encouraging mating pairs. "I think a lot of people see some nice pictures and assume those populations are doing well, but they're not," Dolf DeJong, CEO of the Toronto Zoo, told CBC. The Toronto Zoo is home to more than 20 African penguins, and DeJong says conservation work done by zoos and aquariums can help make a change in African waters. "One of the key pieces we're doing to start with is getting that information that they are at risk in people's hands," he said. He said the zoo is in a position where they could send healthy penguin eggs to African countries if they see a decline in the wild population. DeJong said it wasn't long ago that African penguin populations used to be in the millions, but over the years it has dwindled into roughly 20,000 penguins. The New England Aquarium and the Toronto Zoo are both putting in efforts to educate people about conservation of endangered species. The New England Aquarium sent one of their penguin trainers to South Africa last year to help rehabilitate a rescued penguin. They are looking to do the same this year. DeJong, too, had the opportunity to visit a beach in South Africa and watch a conservation team help the penguins. "They are out on the beaches making sure that when [these penguins] are on land, they are being protected," DeJong explained. "In the case of abandoned eggs or young chicks, those individuals actually go into the same facility where they can be rehabilitated and released. And you can see in the annual reports the impact and the success of that." The next steps… or swims Joblon says even though the island is great, the team is still planning on making some changes. "The ones that are on this geriatric penguin island can get up on the rock pretty well, but we do plan to make it more accessible," Joblon said. The aquarium's next step is to put in ramps, and other similar structures so that the penguins can crawl up easily. Penguin personality Both Joblon and DeJong say that each penguin brings its own personality to the table. "They are as diverse as you and I as far as different personalities," DeJong said. "It's humbling and a little bit scary when you think about it" Joblon said that's certainly on display at the New England Aquarium's geriatric island. Some, she says, are "very cute and cuddly" and "really like to have their neck scratched or their back scratched." "It's very cute," she said. "They are quite intelligent and they're very personable."
Boston Globe
18-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A new place for aging penguins to chill: New England Aquarium builds an ‘assisted living' island
Related : The new private island, separate from the main penguin colony, so far accommodates six aging African penguins, who range in age from 14 to 34. The move comes as more than half of the aquarium's penguin colony has met or surpassed the typical life expectancy of their species, which is 10 to 15 years in the wild. The separation allows aquarium staff to keep a closer eye on the ailing penguins and quickly spot changes that might indicate common challenges older penguins face, including foot injuries and cataracts. Aquarium staff have been workshopping the idea since last year. 'Our goal is to take a proactive approach to managing geriatric animals in an environment that better meets their physical and behavioral needs,' said Kristen McMahon, who oversees the care of more than 50 pinnipeds and penguins at the aquarium. Advertisement At a feeding session Tuesday afternoon, the birds snatched sardines from an aquarium staffer inside the exhibit. Another staff member stood nearby with a clipboard, noting down how many fish each penguin ate to monitor for appetite changes. Among the penguin retirees are Harlequin, 32, and Durban, 31, who have been a pair since 2000 and raised eight chicks together. Also in the exhibit is Boulders, 34, who is showing symptoms of arthritis, and Isis, 29, who aquarium staff said has struggled socially as she ages. Lambert, 32, with a history of cataracts, and his younger mate, Dyer, 14, have also joined the new community. Some penguins swam around in the exhibit while others perched on the island, which has added padding to protect their aging feet. After feeding time, Lambert, who had one of his eyes removed due to cataracts, sat patiently in a staff members' lap as she administered two rounds of eye drops to his remaining eye. Advertisement African penguins are classified as a critically endangered species that face threats from climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. They swim off the rocky coasts of southwestern Africa in Namibia and South Africa and the surrounding islands. Aquarium staff said the new retirement exhibit not only benefits the aging penguins, but may also serve as a specialized area for any bird in the colony who requires special medical attention. 'Being relaxed is key, and we think the new retirement home will ultimately lead to happier and healthier penguins,' Major said. Alexa Coultoff can be reached at
New York Times
16-03-2025
- Health
- New York Times
At a Penguin ‘Retirement Home,' a Slower Pace and Plenty of Fish
Good etiquette is expected at meal time in the penguin colony, but the diners with the best manners are found on a new, special island for birds of a certain age. There, geriatric African penguins don't have to worry about younger birds bombarding the buckets of fish delivered by trainers at the New England Aquarium in Boston. 'They all get a good opportunity to eat and take their time and not feel rushed, not get pushed off the island by another animal that's anxious to eat,' said Kristen McMahon, the aquarium's curator of pinnipeds and penguins. Six seabirds have moved to the island for 'retired' penguins since it opened in February. Their relocation is meant to address the large number of penguins at the aquarium who are living well beyond the age they would be expected to reach in the wild. About half of the aquarium's 40 African penguins are older than the bird's life expectancy of 10 to 15 years, Ms. McMahon said, and some have doubled it. The residents of what Ms. McMahon described as a 'country club for older animals' are sectioned off from three other islands inhabited by youngsters via a mesh gate in the water. They can still see their fellow seabirds, but from the remove of a craggy rock island that has less pecking and noise. 'The birds are definitely quieter, there's less territoriality,' said Ms. McMahon. 'There's a little bit more laying down and resting.' The geriatric penguins, who are mostly in their 30s, receive close monitoring for ailments such as cataracts and arthritis. They are fed fish that have been injected with extra water to promote kidney health, and they get treatments such as eye drops and physical therapy. Some even get acupuncture. 'We wanted a space that was a little bit lower paced and more easily observed by the veterinarian team and our training team on a daily basis,' Ms. McMahon said. African penguins are a critically endangered species, and conservationists say that they could become extinct by 2035. Wild penguins are found in the coastal waters of South Africa and Namibia, where they face threats that include the depletion of food from overfishing, climate change and pollution. The life expectancy for wild African penguins likely does not reflect the reality for the species today, said Christina Hagen, the Pamela Isdell Fellow of Penguin Conservation at the organization BirdLife South Africa. (The group is attempting to establish an African penguin colony in the wild.) 'The population is experiencing a high level of adult mortality, so it's likely that they aren't living that long,' Ms. Hagen said. The New England Aquarium, a nonprofit conservation and research institution that is home to more than 10,000 marine animals, participates in efforts to protect and restore the wild African penguin populations. They sent one of their trainers to South Africa last year to help rehabilitate rescued wild African penguins and plan to send another trainer this year. The penguins at New England Aquarium are able to live so much longer because they do not face the same threats as wild birds and receive specialized care, such as acupuncture. Dr. Melissa Joblon, the aquarium's director of animal health, said the acupuncture treatments, which are rare, are for penguins with arthritis in their spines, which causes them to stiffen and walk less. The penguins are placed on a small table in a room with the lights turned down. The acupuncturist, who also does work on humans, places the needles on the penguin's backs, hips and sometimes on the tops of their heads. 'Some of them just go right to sleep with that,' Dr. Joblon said. One of the penguins on the retirement island, and another who is about to move in, have undergone surgery to remove one of their eyes. Dr. Joblon said the penguin Lambert, 32, had glaucoma that was causing pain and not getting better before his surgery. On the island for retired penguins, he has been able to chase his partner, Dyer, 14, around and become more comfortable navigating. 'He'll kind of bounce around the island like a younger bird,' she said. One other couple lives on the island (Harlequin, 32, and Durban, 31) and so do two females without mates (Boulder, 34, and Isis, 29). One of the females, Isis, had struggled to find her own space on the main colony while getting pushed around by more dominant birds. 'This is an area that she can build her own space and feel more comfortable, hopefully, in her own home,' Dr. Joblon said. Aquarium workers are looking at ways to modify the island to make it easier for penguins with limited mobility to get around. They also hope it can be a useful space for younger birds to recover from medical issues. The aquarium's oldest African penguin, Good Hope, 35, and his mate, St. Croix, 23, are set to move to the island soon. After that, the aquarium does not have plans to move in other birds, Ms. McMahon said, and the plan is to let this group 'live in harmony.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Watch: Geriatric penguins get new ‘retirement island' at New England Aquarium
The Brief The New England Aquarium in Boston expanded its penguin exhibit to better observe their "geriatric penguin" population. African penguins typically live between 10 and 15 years in the wild. Some of the penguins at the aquarium either meet or exceed the typical life expectancy. The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, expanded its penguin habitat after "more than half" of the colony met or surpassed the species' typical life expectancy in the wild. "Our goal is to take a proactive approach to managing geriatric animals in an environment that better meets their physical and behavioral needs," said Kristen McMahon, the Aquarium's Curator of Pinnipeds and Penguins. The backstory African penguins typically live between 10 and 15 years in the wild, according to the aquarium. More than half of the penguins that are in the aquarium's care are living far longer than that. To accommodate their aging penguins, the aquarium created a separate island from the main penguin colony that would provide the animal care team with a bird's eye view to easily monitor the animals. "Careful records are kept on each penguin's behavior, feedings, and more so that staff can quickly spot changes that might be indicative of ailments that afflict older penguins, such as foot injuries and cataracts," according to an aquarium news release. Aquarium staff transitioned six penguins to their new island home over the past month. Harlequin: 32 years old Durban: 32 years old Boulders: 34 years old Isis: 29 years old Lambert: 32 years old Dyer: 14 years old What they're saying "We think of this island like assisted living, where we're helping the birds be more comfortable in a calmer environment," said Diana Major, Manager of Penguins. Dig deeper African penguins are a critically endangered species, according to the aquarium. The main threats plaguing these animals are climate change, habitat loss and pollution. The species typically lives on the coasts of South Africa and Namibia. These penguins, like many others, enjoy eating small fish such as anchovies, sardines and horse mackerel. They can grow to be between 23 and 25 inches tall and can weigh five to nine pounds. The Source Information for this article was gathered from The New England Aquarium in Boston and Storyful. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
