Rare penguin makes 1800-mile journey to New Zealandon November 12, 2021 at 5:15 am

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Pingu the penguin was spotted by a local resident who thought he was a “soft toy” at first.

Adelie penguin flaps its wings while running around on beach in Birdlings Flat, New Zealand

Image source, Harry Singh

A penguin has found itself on the shores of New Zealand, at least 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) away from its natural habitat of Antarctica.

The Adélie penguin, who has now been affectionately named Pingu by locals, was found looking lost on the coast.

Harry Singh, the local resident who found him, said he thought he was a “soft toy” at first.

It is only the third recorded incident of an Adélie penguin being found on New Zealand’s coast.

Mr Singh and his wife first came across the penguin when they were out walking after a long day of work on the beach at Birdlings Flat, a settlement located about 45 kilometres south of the capital Christchurch.

“First I thought it (was) a soft toy, suddenly the penguin moved his head , so I realized it was real,” Mr Singh told the BBC.

Footage of the penguin posted on Mr Singh’s Facebook page showed the penguin appearing lost and alone.

“It did not move for one hour… and [looked] exhausted” Mr Singh said.

Mr Singh proceeded to call penguin rescuers as he was concerned that the penguin was not getting into the water, thereby making it a potential target for other predatory animals roaming the beach.

“We did not want it to end up in a dog’s or cat’s stomach,” he said.

He eventually got through to Thomas Stracke, who has been rehabilitating penguins on New Zealand’s South Island for about 10 years.

Mr Stracke was shocked to find that the penguin was an Adélie penguin – a species that lives exclusively on the Antarctic peninsula. Mr Stracke, along with a veterinarian, rescued the penguin that same evening.

Blood tests performed on Pingu showed that it was slightly underweight and dehydrated. It has since been given fluids and fed via a feeding tube.

The bird will eventually be released onto a safe beach on Banks Peninsula, which is free of dogs.

The discovery is only the third in history that an Adélie penguin has been found on New Zealand’s coasts, following two incidents in 1993 and 1962.

Map
Presentational white space

Adélie spottings remain rare in New Zealand, but if more of them appear in the future, it could be a worrying sign, say experts.

“I think if we started getting annual arrivals of Adélie penguins, we’d go actually, something’s changed in the ocean that we need to understand,” Otago University zoology professor Philip Seddon told news site The Guardian.

“More studies will give us more understanding where penguins go, what they do, what the population trends are like – they’re going to tell us something about the health of that marine ecosystem in general.”

Reporting by the BBC’s Zubaidah Abdul Jalil

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

M&S hackers sent abuse and ransom demand directly to CEOon June 6, 2025 at 5:39 am

The criminals told the retailer's boss he could make things "fast and easy" if he complied with their demands.

Faisal Islam: Is Truss’s growth plan running out of time?on October 5, 2022 at 4:45 pm

The prime minister wants to be judged on boosting economic growth, but how easy will that be to deliver?The prime minister wants to be...

Jury in murder trial of TikTok star dismissedon December 2, 2022 at 11:44 am

Mahek Bukhari, her mother and six others have denied murdering two men who died in a crash.Image source, Leicestershire PoliceThe jury in the trial...

Rail strike: Travellers face reduced service ahead of rail strikeson June 20, 2022 at 4:46 am

Last minute talks are due to take place, but passengers are advised to avoid train travel as services prepare to wind down.Image source, EPATravellers...

Colin the Caterpillar cake row crumbleson February 1, 2022 at 8:12 pm

Marks & Spencer and Aldi reach a settlement in a copyright row over caterpillar cakes.