A retirement home for elderly penguins opens in Boston.

▲ At the New England Aquarium's geriatric island in Boston, African penguins over 30 years old receive supplements and anti-inflammatories for arthritis and joint pain, as well as eye drops for glaucoma. (AP Photo)

▲ At the New England Aquarium's geriatric island in Boston, African penguins over 30 years old receive supplements and anti-inflammatories for arthritis and joint pain, as well as eye drops for glaucoma. (AP Photo)

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La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, November 4, 2025, p. 6

Boston. When Lambert began to lose his sight and walk more slowly, it became clear that he needed to be moved to a place where he could age safely and remain with his friends.

However, he couldn't be moved to just any nursing home, as he is a critically endangered African penguin. Therefore, the New England Aquarium in Boston, where 33-year-old Lambert was born and has lived his entire life, decided in February to open a geriatric island for him and its six other senior penguins.

“Honestly, it started as a joke. It was something like, ‘What if we put them in a retirement home?’” said Eric Fox, the aquarium’s assistant curator of penguins. “But the more we analyzed their welfare data and understood the ailments they suffer from, as well as their physical limitations, the more we realized we had stumbled upon something important.”

The rocky island near the aquarium entrance is separated from the rest of the colony of 38 birds, ensuring that the older penguins don't have to compete for territory with their often aggressive younger companions. These penguins, with their distinctive black and white plumage, stand about 60 centimeters tall and weigh roughly the same as a large domestic cat.

The enclosure has a flatter topography and a carpeted path leading down to the water, allowing Lambert and the other penguins to move around the island more easily. The aquarium has built a platform in front of the island, making it easier for the penguins to get out of the water.

As a result, Mia Luzietti, the aquarium's lead penguin trainer, mentioned that she has seen Lambert more active since moving to the new island: he swims more with his mate and leaves the island more frequently.

Longevity in captivity

The concept arose from a larger concern affecting zoos and aquariums worldwide: what to do when their animals outlive their wild counterparts. In the case of these African penguins, some are over 30 years old, and one lived to be 40. This is twice as long as they would live in the wild in South Africa and Namibia, due to threats such as pollution and food shortages caused by overfishing.

“It’s crucial that, as we’ve learned how long these animals can live in an optimal environment, we’ve evolved accordingly,” Luzietti said. “So, learning at an individual level how we can provide our animals with the best conditions to thrive is what really led us to create our retirement island, a place where our oldest penguins enjoy a more comfortable and peaceful life as they spend their final days here,” he added. Caring for senior penguins goes far beyond a more secure enclosure.

Older birds receive more frequent checkups than younger ones, and veterinarians offer them treatment for ailments that might be familiar to older humans, such as supplements and anti-inflammatories for arthritis and joint pain, and eye drops for glaucoma. In addition, more cameras have been installed on the island to allow staff to monitor it more closely. “We’re paying closer attention to some of these older birds,” Luzietti said. “It’s important that we notice those details: how their hips move, how they walk, how they behave, whether they squint. The slightest daily change can hide a big secret.”

Recently, Luzietti was in the senior animal enclosure looking after Lambert , who seemed content to be standing atop the island with his companion Dyer III , grooming each other and occasionally emitting a loud bellow like a donkey's bray. His left eye had been removed due to an infection, and he suffers from glaucoma in his right. He also suffers from chronic inflammation. Luzietti brought him down from his perch, and soon he was sitting on her lap, getting ready for his daily dose of eye drops.

As a crowd gathered around the enclosure to watch the birds, including Terri Blessman, a 69-year-old tourist from Canton, Illinois, being pushed in a wheelchair by her friend Lou Ann Delost, upon learning of Lambert 's age and the care he receives, Blessman expressed a sense of connection. “It’s wonderful,” Blessman said. “All of us seniors need extra care as we get older.”