Subtly blurred: a penguin appeared at least 3,000 kilometers away from its natural habitat.
Christchurch - An unusual kind of animal migration: An Adéline penguin has appeared in New Zealand where it actually doesn't belong.
The animal was spotted on the coast of the island state a good 3,000 kilometers away from its natural habitat.
The
BBC
reports
.
The person who found the penguin on the wrong track, Harry Singh, initially thought the animal was a "soft toy" until it moved its head.
“Then I understood that it was real.” Locals are said to have affectionately given the unusual visitor the name “Pingu”.
According to the medium, Pingu is said to be only the third of his kind to visit New Zealand.
The other incidents therefore took place in 1993 and 1963.
Penguin blurs and lands in New Zealand: "He looked exhausted"
Singh and his wife were walking in the town of Birdlings Flat near Christchurch after a long day of work when they saw the penguin.
Singh posted pictures of the animal on Facebook, which looks quite lost and alone there.
“He didn't move for an hour and looked exhausted,” said Singh.
He called an animal welfare agency because he was concerned that Pingu, who seemed unwilling to go back into the water, might be targeted by land predators.
“We didn't want it to end in the belly of a dog or a cat,” said Singh.
He reached Thomas Stracke, who has been looking after penguins on New Zealand's South Island for ten years.
The expert was shocked that it was an Adéline (Pygoscelis adeliae) - this species actually only exists in Antarctica.
Together with a veterinarian, he saved the animal.
New Zealand: "Pingu" is released on the Banks Peninsula
Blood tests showed that Pingu was underweight and dehydrated.
The animal was fed and hydrated.
The bird is released on a beach on the Banks Peninsula, where there are no dogs.
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“Pingu” on the rocks of Magnet Bay on the Banks Peninsula outside Christchurch.
© Allanah Purdie / AAP / dpa
An expert warned that more studies are needed on the subject.
"If we see this annually, we would think that something is going on in the oceans that we need to understand," said zoology professor Philip Seddon of Otago University to the
Guardian
.
(cg)
Passengers of a Mexican airline were amazed when they found out about an unexpected animal passenger.
The sight terrified some of them.
