‘Pingu’ the penguin swims 2,000 miles from home
A PENGUIN has been found, starving and exhausted, in New Zealand, nearly 2,000 miles from its Antarctic habitat.
The Adélie penguin, nicknamed “Pingu” after an animated TV show, was discovered at Birdlings Flat, a settlement south of Christchurch on the South Island.
Harry Singh, who found the bird, thought it was a “soft toy” at first.
“Suddenly, the penguin moved his head, so I realised it was real,” Mr Singh told the BBC. “It did not move for one hour… and [looked] exhausted.”
He called rescuers to take it to safety. When Thomas Stracke, of Christchurch Penguin Rehabilitation, arrived he was shocked to find the “starving” and “severely dehydrated” bird.
But to his relief, Pingu perked up after a “fish smoothie” and was released back into the water in the hope it can make the 1,864-mile journey home.
Mr Stracke said birds were struggling to find food supplies because of rising sea temperatures. “When the waters warm up the fish usually go into deeper cold waters. So there’s no fish around,” he told The Guardian.
Only two other Adélie penguins have been discovered in New Zealand, one in 1993 and the other in 1962. Though the sightings are rare, experts have warned that if the journey becomes a trend for penguins it could be a sign of trouble.
In areas where global warming is a problem, Adélie populations have decreased by 65 per cent in the past 25 years. Antarctica’s Emperor penguins also face climate change challenges. Experts say melting sea ice disrupts breeding and reduces numbers.
It is thought their population could halve by 2050.