3400 kilometers home Emperor penguin stranded in Australia swims home
The emperor penguin that got lost in Australia is on its way home to Antarctica. After a month of care, animal rescuers have released the bird in the Pacific Ocean. Its journey home is around 3400 kilometers long.
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- The emperor penguin, which was discovered on a beach in Australia on November 1, is on its way back to its home in Antarctica.
- Animal keepers have taken care of the weakened bird, which is believed to have gone ashore around 3400 meters from its habitat in search of food.
- The keeper has named him Gus and has now released him from a boat in the Pacific - in the hope that he will find his way home the 3400 kilometers away.
An Antarctic emperor penguin stranded in Australia at the beginning of November is back in the ocean. The bird, christened Gus, was released from a ship on the south coast of the state of Western Australia on Wednesday.
He had previously passed all veterinary health checks, according to the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation (DBCA). Three weeks ago, Gus suddenly waddled onto a beach near the town of Denmark in the west of Down Under - 3400 kilometers from his home - to the astonishment of bathers.
The landing of the animal on Ocean Beach, 400 kilometers south of Perth, was considered a minor sensation: never before had a specimen of this species, which actually only lives deep in the region of the Southern Ocean, been sighted so far north.
Sand instead of snow
The emperor penguin appeared quite lost far from home: According to eyewitnesses, it even tried to slide on its belly, probably thinking it was snow. Instead, it landed with its face in the sand.
Emperor penguins are the largest species in the family of flightless seabirds. Adult males can grow up to 1.40 meters tall and weigh 40 kilograms. However, Gus was weak and, at only 23 kilograms, also somewhat malnourished. He therefore initially had to be nursed back to health in a special penguin enclosure. There he recovered well and gained 3.5 kilos.
"His plumage was beautiful and very waterproof, and we got the salt gland pumping," the ABC broadcaster quoted bird keeper Carol Biddulph as saying. Penguins have special salt glands in the forehead region that transport excess salt out of the body.
Penguins follow currents
But how did Gus get Down Under in the first place? According to researchers, he probably followed a current from the Antarctic to the north - straight to Australia. When searching for food, the animals tend to follow certain currents where there is a particularly large supply. Now it is to be hoped that it will also find its way back south.
His keeper, who was on board when he was released, is optimistic. She has every confidence that Gus will find his way home, emphasized Biddulph, adding: "After all, he made it here."
SDA
