'Spicy old lady:' Bridget the penguin finds warmth in her old age with custom wetsuit

A new and special outfit has made life a little cozier for an aging penguin named Bridget.

The 37-year-old Gentoo penguin, who is housed at the Kansas City Zoo, was struggling to bend down far enough to reach her uropygial gland, located at the base of her tail. The uropygial gland, according to a Facebook post by the zoo, secretes a preen oil used to “waterproof” a penguin’s feathers.

And “when feathers are unable to stay dry, especially on a petite penguin like Bridget, a loss of body heat can occur,” the zoo said.

Bridget’s experience is perfectly normal, Sean Putney, executive director of the zoo, told USA TODAY on Friday. That's because as penguins age, just like humans, they are unable to do some of the things they used to be able to do when they were younger and “more spry.”

“She can't reach back to that that gland anymore, so she her feathers look a little bit rough  and getting into the water means that her feathers aren't supplying her with the waterproofing she needs to keep warm,” Putney said.

Whitney Geslois, a senior animal care specialist at the zoo, noticed Bridget was “laying down a lot, various medications weren’t alleviating any discomfort and imaging revealed she could not reach her uropygial gland,” according to reporting by FOX5 KVVU-TV.

Geslois and another zoo employee found a way to help, designing and constructing a custom wetsuit that could keep Bridget warm.

‘Spicy old lady’ warms up to custom fit

The inspiration for Bridget’s custom came from penguins at other zoos, who had been a similar situation and had wetsuits made for them, Putney said.

“She thought ‘I’m going to try this with Bridget.’ And that’s what she did,” Putney said. “It’s been a couple weeks now since the wetsuit was put on Bridget and she’s utilizing it now.”

It’s hard to gauge emotion from a lot of animals but Bridget has not been picking or rubbing at the suit, according to Putney. And it supplies her with “some warmth” she might have not gotten without it.

“It’s really thinking outside of the box when it comes to husbandry of the animals and looking at their best interest, even when it's not written anywhere in normal care for penguins, of making them a wet suit when they're 37 years old,” Putney said. “I'm really proud of Whitney and the staff for coming up with something unique that can help even penguin a that is a little bit older get through those end years with a quality of life.”

The life span of Gentoo penguins is anywhere between 15 to 20 years, making Bridget a “very old” penguin, Putney said.

But neither Bridget’s age nor her condition have stopped her from living her best life. And with her custom suit, Bridget is "always ready for her next snowy adventure!"

“She is a spicy old lady. She has her little area; she loves her snow piles. She likes to hang out on the right side of our habitat,” Geslois shared with FOX5 KVVU-TV.  “She will nip anyone who gets near her. She moves around the exhibit very well for 37. She’ll take the occasional dip and play in the snow daily.”

The wetsuit, which is taken off at night, has been an adjustment for Bridget, who “gives us a little nip or two,” Geslois told the station. But overall, Geslois said she has taken it “pretty well."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bridget the penguin finds warmth in her old age with custom wetsuit