Two Oceans Aquarium share insight into why some of their penguins are spotted wearing socks; the answer – to make sure they keep their little feet healthy.
Cape Town, South Africa (25 June 2021) – Penguins are really cute, especially when they are waddling along, just living their happy little lives. Did you know, that while they have a cute swagger, they can also develop some painful foot problems?
The Two Oceans Aquarium has featured a few videos and social media clips that showed penguins wearing socks and many people asked why that was. They decided to share some insight into the lives of their rescued flock.
First off, the team explained that penguins living in captivity, live much longer than their wild counterparts. This is due to a regular, balanced and healthy diet as well as not having any preditors to avoid. These two factors mean a penguin living in sanctuary at the aquarium, has no real worries except sore feet. Sore feet can be a product of old injuries or the fact that they spend more time on their feet. The socks, help prevent or ease those problems.
“Captive penguins spend more time standing on land than their wild counterparts, and even if their habitat is immaculate, their risk of foot injuries and infections is higher, especially for older penguins with less effective healing and immune systems. This is a major consideration when designing living spaces for birds that are unable to be released back into the wild, like the rescued penguins the Aquarium cares for.”
A very common and quite fatal foot problem is Bumblefoot. Chicken parents will know all about this one too. It is common among all bird species but because penguins have flat, often moist feet, they can really suffer.
“This is where the socks come in. When a small foot injury, a suspicious red spot, or some other cause for concern is noted by the penguin keeper, the foot is sterilised and bandages are used to prevent the possibility of infection and to allow small wounds to recover. Bumblefoot is a severe and potentially fatal infection – so swift action is always best!
It’s the outer layer of veterinary stretch bandages that appear as the pink socks that have recently gone viral online.”
You will often see Teddy, the 30-year-old Rockhopper penguin sporting his pink socks (see the adorable video above), he even has a custom pair of scuba socks so he can swim without getting his bandages wet!
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“So next time you see a penguin wearing socks, remember that it is for the same reason you do – to keep the footsies warm and safe!” – Two Oceans Aquarium
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