The penguin swims 3,000 kilometers from Antarctica to New Zealand – news abroad
Christchurch (New Zealand) – Alone, far from home: a penguin swam from Antarctica some 3,000 kilometers to New Zealand – as far as Copenhagen to Lisbon.
A local resident spotted an Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) on a beach on the Banks Peninsula near Christchurch on Wednesday, the New Zealand portal reports.Things” Friday.
The animal was a bit underweight and dehydrated, but other than that it looked very lively. Penguin expert Thomas Strack fed the long-distance swimmer with liquid and fish juices and released him again outdoors on Friday after staying at a nursing home in Christchurch.
Why the penguin swam so far is not clear. According to data from the online Encyclopedia of Birds of New Zealand, this was the third Adélie penguin from Antarctica to reach New Zealand since records began.
According to the encyclopedia, there are many Adélie penguins in the Ross Sea, but they rarely find their way to New Zealand. Prior to the penguin’s current visit, the body of an Adelie penguin was found in Marlborough in 1962, and a live specimen was discovered at Kaikoura in 1993.
The white ring around the eye is typical of an Adélie penguinFoto: Allanah Purdie, Department of Conservation New Zealand / Handout via REUTERS
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