Emperor Penguin at Peka Peka Beach, Kapiti Coast, New Zealand.
This penguin swam about 4000 kilometres from Antarctica and it's only the second time an emperor penguin has been known to visit a New Zealand beach. The penguin's rare visit attracted global interest and large numbers of bird lovers came to see it. The penguin was first seen on the beach on Monday 20 June 2011 by Peka Peka resident Chris Wilton, who named the bird "Happy Feet".
However, on 24 June 2011 at midday, this 27kg juvenile penguin was shifted to Wellington Zoo for treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion. In the absence of snow, the penguin had eaten a lot of sand, which may have been to try and cool itself. The penguin had a successful four-hour operation to clear sand blocking his oesophagus, but sand in his stomach was a major problem. Click here to read a report about the surgery carried out on the penguin, and here and here to see how well he has recovered.
The above photograph was taken just one hour before the penguin was shifted to the zoo. He was quite lethargic so we weren't able to see him on his feet. Here is another picture of the penguin:
Emperor Penguin at Peka Peka Beach, New Zealand.
These images were taken at a distance of approximately 50 metres from the penguin because the public was kept at a distance so as not to stress the penguin. Note that these images are crops and have been saved at a low quality and displayed at a relatively small size. Therefore, when these images are printed at full resolution, they look a great deal sharper and show a lot more detail.
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