Emperor penguin a global sensation
HE'S WORTH IT: About 100 people watch at the Wellington Zoo operating theatre as zoo manager vet services, Lisa Argilla, left, gastroenterologist John Wyeth, Kim Struthers and Elena Eliadou flush debris from the penguin's stomach.
The emperor penguin who took a wrong turn and ended up on a New Zealand beach has now become a global sensation.
New Zealand media have reported extensively on Happy Feet, which is the second-known emperor penguin to have been seen on our shores.
But it's not just Kiwis who are falling in love with the penguin that swam more than 3000km to reach Peka Peka beach, north of Wellington, last week.
Happy Feet is one of the most famous birds in the world - with The Guardian, Daily Mail and CNN all reporting on its extraordinary journey.
The bird was also the talk of the Twitter world, with many posts signalling they hoped it would soon recover from its illness and be safely returned to its home in Antarctica.
After arriving at Peka Peka beach it became increasingly ill and was taken to Wellington Zoo where it is undergoing treatment to remove sand and twigs from its stomach.
Penguins usually eat snow for hydration and to keep cool. However, experts believe it ate the sand because it was confused about where it was.
The bird has had three procedures to remove sand from its stomach, including an operation yesterday, which was performed by Wellington Hospital gastroenterologist John Wyeth, who usually performs on humans.
About 100 people watched the three-hour endoscopy.
Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said this morning that Happy Feet was doing well and remained in a stable condition.
The penguin would have another X-ray tomorrow which would determine if any further procedures were required but zoo staff were hoping the bird would pass the remaining sand naturally.
The emperor penguin, whose gender is unknown pending DNA results, was keeping cool by staying in an air conditioned room with crushed ice.
A penguin advisory committee, including experts from Massey University, the zoo, Te Papa and the Conservation Department, would decide in the next few days what to do with Happy Feet.
Returning the bird to Antarctica was not feasible as there were no flights there until later in the year. Experts have also advised that large birds could suffer trauma if transported long distances.
Massey University professor John Cockrem said the best option for the penguin was to release it in to the sea off the south coast of New Zealand.
"We would be releasing it into its own environment and a satellite tag could be used to track its progress," he said.
Cockrem, who spent three weeks camping with emperor penguins in Antarctica in 2004, said it was not just as simple as transporting it all the way back to Antarctica.
"The weeks it could take to get there would put a lot of stress on the bird," he said.
There was also a possibility the penguin had caught a virus which could spread when it returned to Antarctica.
Another option was to keep it in it captivity but there were no facilities in New Zealand which could house it, he said.
Businessman Gareth Morgan had offered the bird a seat on a Russian icebreaker ship in February.
The only previous recording of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.
Zoo staff said that penguin was released in Foveaux Strait.
- MICHELLE COOKE/Stuff and MICHELLE DUFF/Dominion Post, with NZPA
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I'm very glad teh poor animal is recovering. But I agree with everyone who said that:
A) Happy Feet is a pathetic, Hollywood-whipped name for us to come up with and B) pity New Zealanders don't care as much about our endangered species.
Lisa #66 You misread catteeya's comment. It said contribute to the $200 a day, not donate the full $200. Also that amount of money is absolutely nothing for the good that comes out of it - awareness, interest, the benefit on the Zoo itself and general positivity. I am gobsmacked by your comment!
This Penguin should be saved because of the amazing rarity of the event. Only one recorded land fall in 1967 so it's not like we are about to be invaded by them. Yes, it has captured the hearts and minds of thousands if not millions of people world-wide. How is that a bad thing for New Zealand? Yes, the oceans are going to hell in a hand-basket but letting this Penguin die on our beaches will hardly change that. Maybe getting people to pay more attention to aquatic life is a step in the right direction, even if it is only a small one. Lastly, if the doom merchants really want a taste of reality, the only species that grossly overpopulates the Earth is humanity
Ive been following ol' Happy Feet since he first made news and it has been a classic emotional rollercoaster :D
It is awesome news to hear that Happy Feet has turned the corner.
as for all the whinge bags and negative people who dont want Happy Feet to have a helping hand I ask: where is your compassion?!
and as a CHCH resident Happy Feet has been a wee ray of sunshine amongst the liquefaction!~
All cuteness, but why are spending time and $ on an obviously deranged or deficient penguin? If the penguins nav system is out of whack so much that it ended up in NZ then we should let natural selection take its own course. If we deliver it back and it breeds then maybe all of its progeny will have faulty steering and will end up in NZ eating our valuable sand and sticks.
Those who wished that the Happy feet had died...I think there is something wrong with this sort of thinking. There is a saying that there are only 2 good judge of character....a baby and an animal (particularly a dog).
That doesn't look like 100 people.
More like 30.
@manuka #41
Because our National icon is a Kiwi not a Penguin :D
catteeya #21
Wow. I am gobsmacked by your comment. You would happily donate $200 a day to keep a bird that isn't even native or endangered alive in a foreign land where it will have no connection with its colony ever again. For what reason exactly? So you can feel all warm and fuzzy with the assumption (and I stress the word assumption) that you have done something good? It will be bloody miserable. I love penguins too but for crying out loud - you people have gone a bit mad with this. You've all got your cuteness blinkers on. Use your brains. I still can't believe your comment. It's just so ... juvenile.
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Give the penguinn a damm medal aleady. and be done with all this non sense. and help some HUMANS for Christs sake