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A 24-year-old African penguin at the New England Aquarium in Boston is putting that statement to the test after receiving customized footwear to help her walk properly.
Beach Donkey developed a foot condition two years after she hatched at the aquarium on April 21, 1998, NEA reports. The penguin was diagnosed with pododermatitis, also known as bumblefoot, due to large calluses that had developed on her feet.
The condition is common among penguins both in the wild and in captivity, the aquarium says. If left untreated, it could lead to infections of the bone.
So, staff at NEA immediately started developing a care plan for Beach Donkey before the condition worsened. The result was not only something practical, but fashionable.
“Training an animal to be comfortable with this level of interaction and treatment requires very small steps and a positive trainer-animal relationship,” said Eric Fox, the Aquarium’s manager of penguins. “Nuanced understanding of each individual penguin and what they find reinforcing is crucial to a trainer’s success and is essential to the health of each penguin.”
Her training involved a combination of medications, surgeries, foot treatments and the use of custom-made footwear, the aquarium reports.
All have helped Beach Donkey's condition improve drastically and her "happy feet" are a testament to the hard work of the team at the aquarium.
You can read more about Beach Donkey's journey here.
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