An emaciated emperor penguin was found on a beach in Denmark on Australia’s south coast on November 1. According to the Australian State Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the penguin was found approximately 3,500 kilometers (2,200 mi) north of the Antarctic coast. He is currently being treated under the supervision of wildlife experts.
The emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin species and has never been recorded in Australia before, said Belinda Canal, a researcher at the University of Western Australia. A few emperor penguins have reached New Zealand, but this is the first time this has been recorded in Denmark, Australia.
Canal said that he does not understand how this penguin traveled such a distance to reach Denmark. Currently, under the guidance of Canal Seabird Rehabilitation Specialist Carol Biddulph, the penguin is being cooled with ice cold water as needed to survive. The penguin is one meter (39 inches) tall and initially weighed only 23 kilograms (51 pounds).
A healthy emperor penguin usually weighs more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds). Therefore, the physical condition of these penguins is much weaker than normal.
Options for returning the penguin to its natural habitat are still being considered, the department said. The head of the department said that the main objective of their efforts is to focus on the rehabilitation of these penguins.