Penguin at Calgary Zoo wears beer cozies as boots

By Nadine Kalinauskas | Good News – 20 hours ago

Akemi the penguin is suffering from a bad case of bumblefoot, a bacterial infection that can occur in captive birds.

The bird is now modelling new protective footwear — beer cozies — at her home in the recently reopened Penguin Plunge exhibit at the Calgary Zoo.

The young gentoo penguin "injured her foot last year, and because of that she was moving less, and she was quite sore. She piled on the pounds which didn't help. And she developed pressure sores that ended up getting infected," Calgary Zoo curator Malu Celli told CBC News.

"Boots really help her to move around more and keep active. It's helping her lose weight and it makes her feet less sore," Celli added.
Akemi's feet were too small for proper penguin boots, so zoo vets opted for something a little more creative: beer cozies. Donated by Carlsberg, the cozies each have a zipper up the side and are fastened snuggly around the bird's ankles with duct tape.

Celli told CBC News that Akemi wears through each pair of cozies in a week, but never fusses over them or tries to take them off:

"She can move so much better, so that is reinforcing enough for her. She understands the treatment is working."

Akemi will continue to wear the cozies until her feet have healed.

According to a Calgary Zoo Facebook post, lead veterinarian Dr. Doug Whiteside "says she's doing great!"

The penguin exhibit reopened on Wednesday for the first time since last month's flooding.

(Photo from The Calgary Zoo's Facebook page)

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