Just shy of 21 years old, Gordon is the oldest Australian little penguin on record and is still maintaining an active love life despite his age.
"As he's getting older and older, we're realising how significant that is and I guess he's quite a special one in the group."With only half of little penguins surviving past their first year and the continuous loss of habitat, small populations like this one help ensure the existence of the species.
"By having a breeding population in captivity, it means we've got a little bit of a backup just in case things go south out in the wild," Ms Kennett said.Parenting is a fifty-fifty job between little penguins, with the mother and father usually splitting feeding shifts between morning and night."For Gordon, if his mate is letting down the relationship a bit, he'll definitely step up and sometimes he'll do both feeds in a day," she said.
"They all have their unique personalities and attributes but Gordon is certainly one that stands out," Gordon's keeper chuckled.Gordon's nest is fittingly placed at the highest point of the enclosure, overlooking the pond and his penguin mates. "We moved his nest box once and he was very determined that we never move it again," Ms Kennett said.With an eagerness like his, the only sign of Gordon's age comes from his name, which was inspired by a brand of gin."We do have a theme with names every year and way back then that's what that was."
Gordon currently sees an eye doctor once a year and occasionally takes pain medication but overall Ms Kennett said he was fit and healthy.
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