From the Santa Barbara Zoo. Did you notice that one of the Zoo’s penguins wears a shoe? This penguin is named Lucky. He wears this shoe to help him with a medical condition in one of his feet. Lucky hatched here at the Zoo. As soon as he began to walk, the keepers noticed that he limped. The Zoo’s veterinarian discovered a problem with the growth of some of his foot bones. Because surgery was too risky, and most likely wouldn’t work well, the vet and keeper staff decided to make him a special shoe.
But where do you get a shoe for a penguin? The Zoo found a community partner in Teva, a local adventure footwear company that makes shoes and sandals especially for people who are active in, on, and around the water. Teva’s design team volunteered hundreds of hours to design and make a special shoe for Lucky, and the company has committed to providing shoes for Lucky’s lifetime. The shoe is changed daily so it can be washed. Thanks to his new shoe, Lucky can now walk, jump, and swim like the other penguins, and is well on his way to living up to his name.
