The unusual appearance of an Emperor penguin on an Australian beach has experts intrigued. In poor health, the animal was taken into care by a veterinarian.
An Antarctic animal with its feet in the sand: an Emperor penguin was found on a beach along Australia’s southern coast, local authorities announced on Monday, as reported by the Associated Press. The animal had thus completed a 3,500 km journey, from Antarctica’s icy waters to the tourist town of Denmark.
Belinda Cannell, a researcher at the University of Western Australia, confirmed to the news agency that this penguin species had never before been seen in the Oceanic country, although some of its peers have previously reached New Zealand.
The penguin, an adult male, was discovered by a local resident, Aaron Fowler, who was on the beach to surf. “It was huge, much bigger than a seabird. We wondered what it was coming out of the water,” he told ABC News. “It stood up in the middle of the waves and waddled over to us,” he continued, describing the animal as “not shy at all.”
« He tried to do a sort of belly slide, thinking it was snow, I guess, and he dove into the sand, got back up, and shook off all the sand grains, » he added.
Poor Health
The reasons for the Emperor penguin’s presence in Australia remain shrouded in mystery. Specimens of this species « tend to follow certain currents based on the types of food they find. Perhaps these currents simply happen to be a bit farther north, toward Australia, than usual, » suggests Belinda Cannell.
When discovered, the penguin was in poor health. According to CNN, which cited the Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions (DBCA), it was « malnourished » and weighed only 23 kg, whereas an adult male can weigh up to 40 kg.
The animal was taken in by a veterinarian, who regularly sprays it with a mist of icy water to help it adjust to this unfamiliar climate.
Source: le parisien
