One of the zoo’s visitors recently published a fascinating snapshot on his social media profile, which has since been shared by a large number of people.
It shows an old southern penguin wearing… leather shoes. The bird, it turns out, requires shoes for medicinal reasons, not for aesthetic reasons.
It was created on the penguin’s attending physician’s orders as the penguin’s chronic joint ailment, arthritis, began to worsen. The vets began therapy right away after discovering big, hard calluses on the bird’s paws.
The penguin has been taking the proper medicine every day since then. Doctors routinely put special oils and ointments onto his feet to relieve discomfort. Everything would be great if the ointments didn’t get washed away every time the penguin went swimming.
The experts started looking for a solution and came up with the notion of manufacturing leather shoes that would prevent water from penetrating the treated portions of the foot.
The senior penguin now proudly flaunts his trendy custom-made footwear around the cage.
Ties connect the shoes to the legs. When the penguin is getting ready for bed, the zoo personnel puts it on in the morning and takes it off in the evening.
The zoo staff did not stop there; they also bought a wetsuit for the penguin, which allows him to swim in frigid water without freezing.
The concept with the boots, according to the zoo administration, worked.
The bird’s flare-ups have grown less frequent since he began wearing shoes. In addition, his condition has significantly improved.
