The world’s oldest Humboldt penguin has died this week at the age of 31. Photo: CNN
Oregon, USA: The penguin, which has been welcoming and entertaining people for three decades in a row, has finally closed its eyes. The 31-year-old Humboldt penguin was rescued by the Oregon Zoo.
Interestingly, he remained the head of his colony until the last moment, but the zoo’s management also named the endangered Humboldt penguin as its ambassador. Mochika Penguin, who came out of the egg to breathe in the mid-1990s, welcomed thousands of visitors to the zoo with a smile on her face.
It was hard to see him last time. He had cataracts in one eye and the other eye was weak from old age. But most of all, he had arthritis in his hip. Thus he was not only unable to see but also to walk.
When he could not recover, the zoo’s management decided to put him to death on September 4, which was carried out the same day. It should be noted that this is the oldest penguin in the world, whether it is part of any zoo or aquarium. According to zoo experts, the reason for such a long life may be due to the hard life of the bird itself and on the other hand, it was taken care of in the zoo.
It was only after her birth that Mochika fell in love with people. He was very happy to see people and preferred to be with human doctors and other staff instead of other birds. But suddenly his health began to decline and he was given arthritis medicine at breakfast while he was also undergoing laser therapy.
Although these penguins barely live 20 years, they survived for 31 consecutive years. However, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s oldest female penguin turned 41 in April this year. On the other hand, Narpenguin’s honor went to Mochika.
Oregon Zoo management says global efforts to save the birds will continue after Mochika’s death. Currently, there are only 12,000 pairs of Humboldt penguins found off the coast of Peru and Chile.
