The adult penguin Enrique of the species Eudyptes chrysocome, which lives in the zoo in St. Louis, USA, received special boots. They were provided by concerned zoo officials to relieve his arthritis, according to People magazine. In its tweet, the Daily Miror posted a photo of Enrique.
Due to his advanced age of 30, Enrique developed arthritis and calluses on his feet, and walking and swimming caused him pain and discomfort. By comparison, penguins live in the wild for about 10 years.
Initially, veterinarians tried to alleviate the suffering of the adult penguin with a special ointment. However, the ointment had to be applied every time after bathing and in the end did not work.
Looking for a way to help Enrique, the specialists were overshadowed by a brilliant idea.
Veterinarian Jimmy Johnson recalls seeing swans in another zoo wearing special shoes for limb problems. Johnson proposed the idea for Enrique to make orthopedic boots.
The penguin’s shoes are made in black and red, look like his real feet and are attached to them with a soft strap. Every morning, zoo staff put on Enrique’s boots and take them off the night before bed.
