Rare Adélie penguin
A penguin that turned up on a Dunedin beach last month is getting ready to head back home to Antarctica. The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and the Department of Conservation are currently working on a release plan for the Adélie penguin to give her “the best chance to head back home to Antarctica”. The Antarctic Treaty requires that penguins need to find their own way home. Staff at the wildlife hospital said they believed the unnamed penguin is a female, based on her bill and foot measurements.
She has had a full health check and has been receiving treatment to protect her from contracting any New Zealand diseases and prevent her from spreading Antarctic diseases to endangered Hoiho and other native penguins. Nurses at the hospital have even been making small icebergs for the penguin, as they are adapted to much colder environments than can be provided outdoors in Dunedin. In a couple of weeks, the Adélie penguin will need to find her own way back to the Antarctic! We wish her ‘Safe Travels’ after her surprise visit to New Zealand!
