The world’s oldest African penguin has shacked up in a private enclosure with a companion 30 years her junior after being bullied by her colony.
The 43-year-old penguin, who goes by ET, lives at Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo and has so far outlived two of her previous mates, Melvin and Seldona.
African penguins are typically monogamous, but ET has gone against nature, taking Einstein, who is only 13 years old as her avian boy toy.
Zookeepers have attributed the mature penguin’s survival to ‘incredible genes and a strong quality of life,’ as she celebrates yet another year around the sun, the Washington Post reports.
The world’s oldest African penguin, ET, 43, (left) has shacked up in a private enclosure with Einstein, a companion 30 years her junior, (right) after being bullied by her colony
‘We wanted to make it the happiest birthday ever,’ said Jessica Gring, one of ET’s keepers when speaking to the outlet of her 43rd birthday last month.
‘She’s a pretty special penguin with some incredible genes and a strong quality of life.’
ET celebrated her long life with a dip in a private pool and an entire cake made of capelin fish and decorative ice.
The normal age for her species surviving in the wild is only between 15 to 20 years with some rare cases in captivity with longer lifespans.
But her life hasn’t been without adversity, after bonding with Einstein in 2012, zookeepers noticed other younger birds starting to pick on her.
‘As she got older, some of the younger penguins were picking on her a little bit, so we made a retirement home for her to enjoy with Einstein,’ Jim Andelin, director of the Metro Richmond Zoo told the outlet.
‘She can still see the penguin colony through the fence, but she gets along much better on the other side of the mesh wire.’
She’s been a trailblazer in other aspects too, taking Einstein under her wing during a May-December romance, reportedly ‘unheard of’ in the species.
‘She and Einstein get along fantastically, even though she’s older than he is,’ said Gring.
‘ET has developed a deep bond with him,’ Andelin said of Einstein.
Gring added that the affection goes both ways.
‘She and Einstein are very bonded to one another and enjoy spending a lot of quality time together,’ she told the Washington Post.
ET was hatched at the Detroit Zoo on Jan 28, 1980, then was sent to the Columbus Zoo, where she was named in 1982, the same year the iconic movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released to great fanfare.
ET celebrated her long life with a dip in a private pool and an entire cake made of capelin fish and decorative ice (pictured)
But her life hasn’t been without adversity, after bonding with Einstein in 2012, zookeepers noticed other younger birds starting to pick on her
Seen on her 42nd birthday, ET is seen in her private enclosure with Einstein, where she leads a simple and quiet life
She arrived at Virginia zoo in 1995 at the youthful age of 15.
‘We brought in 10 penguins [including ET] from the Columbus Zoo when we opened in 1995, and we’ve since hatched 299 penguins here,’ said Andelin.
Noting that most of the hatchlings went to other zoos, Andelin added: ‘None of [the others] have had the life span of ET. She’s a little slower now, but she’s still enjoying a happy life.’
ET is said to be the longest living African penguin in captivity in North America since 2018, when the previous record holder, a penguin named Opal, died at age 41 at an Omaha zoo, Andelin explained.
‘Our records show she’s the oldest,’ he said.
African penguins typically live for 15 to 20 years in the wild, he added, but those in zoos can live much longer.
ET leads a quiet and comfortable life with Einstein but while she is in good health, she has lost some of her eyesight and is receiving medication for arthritis.
She’s hatched about a dozen eggs during her time at the Virginia zoo, but laid her last egg in 2016, one of her daughters lived until age 37, said Gring.
‘All of our penguins have their own individual personalities, and ET is no exception,’ Gring said.
‘She loves to play with bubbles and mirrors, and she stays active. She spends more time swimming than Einstein does.
‘She’s still a little feisty when we pick her up to do her vet check-ups. [She] has a lot of fight in her, which is a good thing to see in a penguin her age.’
African penguins have been listed as endangered since 2010 and have decreased in population by 95 percent over the last 100 years.
Jessica Gring, one of ET’s keepers, says ET and Einstein are highly affectionate toward one another
African penguins typically live for 15 to 20 years in the wild but those in zoos can live much longer, she has seen many birthdays while one of her daughters lived to be 35
African penguins have been listed as endangered since 2010 and have decreased in population by 95 percent over the last 100 years
‘We’re down to only about 40,000 of them in the wild. Fortunately, with our breeding program here, we’ve had some good luck with them,’ Andelin said adding that there are about 900 African penguins currently living in U.S. zoos.
‘We feed her as much as she wants to eat — anywhere from 4 to 10 herring, trout and capelin on an average day,’ she Gring.
‘When she wants some serious quiet time, she can go to her nest box [a small pet carrier] in her enclosure.’
Plans are currently underway to build a larger penguin exhibit at the zoo.
‘We’re having fun with her while we have her,’ Gring said. ‘We don’t want to think about when she’s gone, so we’ve already started planning her 44th birthday party.’
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