Missouri Zoo Fabricates Wet Suit For Penguin

Bridget is very old for a penguin. She is 37 years old and penguins in the wild typically only live to 15.

Like anyone who gets older things don’t work just like they did when you were younger. Bridget still likes to play in the snow at the Kansas City Zoo and sometimes will get in the water.

Zoo specialists were noticing that Bridget was spending an inordinate amount of time lying down due to discomfort and the medication prescribed wasn’t helping.

Turns out she couldn’t reach her Uropygial gland, which is the gland that secretes the oil that essentially waterproofs penguins feathers and helps to insulate them from the cold and wet.

An animal care specialist teamed up with sewing assistant that works with a life support operator to fabricate the personalized wet suit for Bridget.

The specialists have to put Bridget’s wet suit on in the morning and take it off of her in the evening so she doesn’t get caught on anything or snag it during the night.

Other zoos have done this for older penguins but this is a whole new thing at the Kansas City Zoo.