Shoe-wearing penguin at Santa Barbara Zoo gets foot amputated

Veterinary experts at the Santa Barbara Zoo had to amputate the right foot of ‘Lucky,’ the Humboldt penguin at the zoo known for wearing a specially designed shoe.

Santa Barbara Zoo officials say Lucky’s malformed ankle joint had significantly deteriorated over eight years and pain management and other treatments were no longer effective. Lucky’s foot began to point up at an angle rather than lay flat, which caused Lucky to walk on the point of his ankle, rather than on his foot.

Zoo officials say the abnormality was discovered as soon as Lucky left the nest in 2010 and walked with a shuffling gait, which led the penguin to develop life-threatening infections from pressure and chafing over time.

Lucky underwent surgery to remove the foot on his affected right leg on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. The surgery was performed by Dr. Stephen Klause, a veterinary orthopedic specialist from the Los Angeles Zoo.

Director of Animal Care and Health Dr. Julie Barnes assisted with the surgery and had been in consultation over the years with Dr. Klause regarding Lucky’s condition.

“Although this is a fairly straightforward surgery and used for cats and dogs with a similar condition, there are some other considerations for performing this in a bird,” said Dr. Barnes. “We feel he has a good prognosis and this procedure will give him the best quality of life. Our goals are to lessen Lucky’s pain, retain his mobility, and have him rejoin the Zoo’s Humboldt penguin colony.”

A SHOE IS MADE

In 2011, local shoe company Teva designed a high-tech shoe for the penguin, and since then has further refined and provided custom shoes for Lucky, free of charge. The footwear has been effective for the past eight years, allowing him to be an active member of the Zoo’s penguin colony. In 2017, he sired a chick with his mate Nica.

But Lucky’s ankle joint was undergoing a continual, slow deterioration as expected with this type of deformity. The joint was collapsing and becoming inflamed, causing swelling and pressure. Excess bone had formed in the joint, causing painful bone-on-bone contact, say zoo officials.

HOW DID LUCKY SHOW HE WAS IN PAIN?

Officials say the Zoo’s Animal Care Staff were able to determine Lucky’s level of discomfort by his behavior — he would limp at first, then, as discomfort increased, Lucky would move his leg in a circular motion.

If Lucky was very uncomfortable, he would not walk and might make noises, according to zoo officials. And when handled, he would react to having his foot touched.