A penguin has traveled at least 3,000 km from Antarctica to New Zealand.
According to the BBC on November 11, the Adélie penguin in question has been named Pingu by local residents. It was found on a beach in New Zealand, at least 3,000 km away from its natural habitat in Antarctica.
Mr. Harry Singh, the first person to discover Pingu, initially mistook the penguin for a “toy” until the animal moved its head.
The Adélie penguin named Pingu by local residents. (Photo: BBC).
Mr. Singh and his wife found Pingu while strolling on the beach at Birdlings Flat, a settlement south of Christchurch, to relax after a long day at work. It appeared to be lost and alone.
“It didn’t move for an hour and seemed exhausted” – Mr. Singh recalled.
He then called penguin rescue staff out of concern that it wouldn’t go into the water and could become a potential target for other predators on the beach. “We didn’t want it to be eaten by dogs or cats” – Mr. Singh explained.
Penguin rescue worker Thomas Stracke and a veterinarian rescued Pingu that evening. Mr. Stracke expressed surprise that this was an Adélie penguin living in Antarctica.
Examinations showed that Pingu was slightly underweight and dehydrated. The animal will be released at a safe beach on Banks Peninsula.
Experts believe that Adélie penguins rarely appear in New Zealand, and if this happens more frequently in the future, there may have been a change in the ocean that we need to pay attention to.
