14 DAY TRIAL // A female king penguin living at the Birdland wildlife park in Gloucestershire is believed to be the world's oldest representative of its species.
The bird's keepers explain that Missy arrived at said animal sanctuary in 1982. At that time, she was at least 5 years old, seeing how she was an adult.
“Although we cannot categorically age Missy we do know she was an adult when she came to Birdland and king penguins take five years to become fully mature,” Park Manager Simon Blackwell told the press.
Therefore, Missy must be at least 36 years old.
“We believe she is the oldest penguin in the world and we are planning to look into applying to Guinness World Records,” Simon Blackwell further said.
Despite her age, this penguin appears to have no major health issue.
Thus, sources say that Missy behaves much like all the other king penguins that are living at this sanctuary and that are considerably younger than her.
True, the bird has lost the vision in one eye, but she won't let this keep her from enjoying life.
Wild penguins usually die around the age of 15-20. Captive ones, on the other hand, have been documented to reach the age of 26.