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Penguin found on North Island’s Peka Peka beach is to be freed in the Southern Ocean rather than be ferried back to Antarctica It has wandered thousands of miles off course, ending up confused, lost and in hospital, but a young emperor penguin that reached New Zealand must now find its own way home. Wildlife officials have decided to help the penguin – dubbed Happy Feet after the 2006 animated film – find its way back to its Antarctic home 2,000 miles from New Zealand’s North Island, but stopped short of giving it a lift all the way. The bird, which is 3ft (90cm) tall, will be taken part of the way home and freed into the Southern Ocean, south-east of New Zealand, and will be expected to swim the rest of the way. When Happy Feet was found on Peka Peka beach last week , it was the first time in 44 years the species has been sighted in New Zealand. Since then, wildlife experts – who are not sure if Happy Feet is male or female – have debated the best way to get the bird home. An initial suggestion of taking the penguin all the way back to the Antarctic was dismissed because of logistical difficulties and fears Happy Feet could have picked up infections while in New Zealand, which it could pass on to other penguins. An advisory group decided it would give the hapless penguin a helping hand, but it would have to do the bulk of the work. “The reason for not returning the penguin directly to Antarctica is that emperor penguins of this age are usually found north of Antarctica on pack ice and in the open ocean,” Peter Simpson, the department’s biodiversity spokesman, said. Instead, it will be released on the northern edge of the region where young emperor penguins are known to live. Simpson was unsure how far the penguin would have to swim before getting home. It has been a rough ride for the unfortunate penguin. After being rescued by marine experts, it had to have an operation to remove sand from its stomach , after apparently mistaking it for snow which penguins eat to hydrate themselves in winter. The bird has been recovering at Wellington zoo after one of New Zealand’s leading surgeons, more used to performing the operation on humans, carried out an endoscopy , flushing its stomach clear of sand and driftwood. The penguin has been resting in a private, airconditioned room filled with large blocks of ice and dining on the finest fish slurry. The zoo has said that the penguin will not be taken home before it recovers. Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said: “The plan is to let him rest, feed him and x-ray him again on Friday or Saturday to see how much sand has passed.” New Zealand Animals Animal welfare Antarctica Animal behaviour Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk