MONTREAL - Green the Gentoo penguin turned 33 years old this week. She's the oldest penguin at Montreal's Biodome, and the oldest of her kind in North America.
Born in 1979 at the Edinburgh zoo, Green, named for the green armband she wears, immigrated to Montreal a year after she was born.
33 may not seem very old, but Gentoos normally live for 15 to 20 years.
"She has a low-profile personality, she's not aggressive ... and she looks like she has a lot of wisdow in her eyes," said Eric Charette, one of the humans who tends to the daily needs of the amphibious birds.
Old age hasn't made Green frail, although she is dealing with cataracts and arthritis.
"She is still very functional which means she eats properly, she moves around the exhibit properly, she can swim she can dive," said veterinarian Emiko Wong
She's also devoted to her mate.
A monogamous species, Green and her partner, Blue, have three young chicks at the moment.
Of course every birthday must be celebrated, especially for the oldest penguin at the zoo, but what the penguin-keepers offered up wasn't something likely to appeal to humans: Gentoo received a three-layer fish cake, along with some vitamin-laced appetizers.
