On Wednesday, the world’s oldest Magellanic penguin named Captain Eo passed away. The mature penguin, nourished under human supervision at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, died at the ripe age of 40. He had fathered 26 kids and 31 grandkids along with eight great-grandchildren.
In 1982, Captain Eo arrived with 52 wild Magellanic penguins that were brought into a Penguin Island, a habitat built in the zoo premise replicating their natural habitat with a large outdoor pool put together with burrows and rocky landscapes.
Natives of South Africa, Magellanic penguins grow more than 2 feet (60 centimetres) in height and weigh around 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms). The average life expectancy of the Magellanic penguins is of 20 to 30 years, which was well surpassed by Captain Eo. In a statement given by the zoo, the animal had already lost its eyesight and hearing ability and required special feeding techniques.
Quinn Brown, the zoo’s assistant curator of birds, expressed that Captain Eo had a personality like that of “an older sophisticated gentleman.” He continued to describe Captain Eo saying, “he did not partake in the usual shenanigans of stealing fish from others or pushing his way through the crowd for fish. Instead, he would quietly and politely sit on the rocky beach and wait his turn for his meal, then go out for a swim or home. He was one-of-a-kind.”
Brown added, “while we will never have the honour of embracing and connecting with Captain in this way again, he will always have a monumental place in our hearts.” Brown expresses that Captain Eo is a part of the Francisco Zoo history and the elderly penguin can ever be forgotten.
