Lost emperor penguin Happy Feet heads back home

Penguin who became focus of global media after washing up on New Zealand beach 2,500 miles from home to be returned to Antarctica A young emperor penguin that captured worldwide attention when it washed up on a New Zealand beach after straying thousands of miles from home will head back to the subantarctic in a specially designed cage on board a research vessel. The Wellington Zoo, where the bird – nicknamed “Happy Feet” by locals – has been living since June, said on Wednesday the penguin would be on the research vessel Tangaroa when it leaves on 29 Augustfor a fisheries survey. The penguin will be released from the ship about four days out at sea, en route to its final destination. “The NIWA team are looking forward to having this extra special guest on board the vessel with us for the journey,” Rob Murdoch of NIWA, the research organisation that operates the vessel, said in a statement issued by the zoo. “Happy Feet has captured the hearts of New Zealanders and people across the world, and we’re pleased to be able to help safely return him to the Southern Ocean.” A Wellington Zoo vet will accompany the penguin, which will be housed in a crate designed by Wellington Zoo staff to keep it cool and comfortable during the voyage. The animal will be fitted with a GPS tracker that will allow fans to monitor its progress online on several websites, including sirtrack.com and ourfarsouth.org The bird became the focus of the world’s media after it turned up on a beach some 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from its home, only the second emperor penguin known to have shown up in New Zealand. It underwent endoscopic surgery in June to remove 3kg (6.6lbs) of sand from its stomach and subsequently recuperated at the zoo, where a “penguin cam” allowed fans to observe its every move over the internet. Penguins normally eat snow to stay hydrated but vets believe Happy Feet became confused and ate sand instead. Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species and can weigh up to 30kg (66lbs). The previous sighting of an emperor penguin in New Zealand took place in 1967. Antarctica New Zealand Animals Marine life Wildlife Animal behaviour guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.