Farewell party for Happy Feet

Happy Feet, the emperor penguin found on Peka Peka Beach on the Kapiti Coast, receives a salt...
Happy Feet, the emperor penguin found on Peka Peka Beach on the Kapiti Coast, receives a salt-water shower from vet Dr Lisa Argilla at Wellington Zoo. Photo by <i>The New Zealand Herald.</i>
Happy Feet has every chance of finding his mates when he gets back to the Antarctic, a penguin expert says.

The 3-year-old emperor penguin has been nursed back to health by Wellington Zoo staff since he washed up in June on a Kapiti Coast beach and is ready to go back to the Antarctic.

Today, the penguin will begin the first four days of his long journey home on board the Niwa research vessel Tangaroa as the ship undertakes a month-long, 700km journey south to the Campbell Islands.

Yesterday, hundreds of fans queued to get one last look at the penguin and said goodbye at a Haere Ra Happy Feet party where guests dressed in black and white.

Hundreds had signed a farewell card for Happy Feet, leaving "sweet" messages, Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said.

"It was really lovely to see how many people came out to support us," she said.

Prof John Cockrem, a penguin authority from Massey University, said the emperor penguin would be released at the upper range of where other juvenile emperor penguins would be at this time of year.

"The 2- to 4-year-olds generally head to sea before returning to Antarctica to breed at 4 or 5 years of age," Prof Cockrem said.

The area where Happy Feet is to be released is far enough south to meet the sea currents that would steer him towards the Antarctic.

"Any further north and he may just swim north again towards the South Island."

Dr Cockrem said once Happy Feet returned to the water, he would have the same chances of survival as any other emperor penguin making its way back to the Antarctic.

A refrigerated crate would keep the penguin cold enough and safe during turbulent weather.

Wellington Zoo had raised $29,000 for Happy Feet's care, which had covered the cost of having him at the zoo and shipping him home.

Yesterday, he underwent general anaesthetic to have a satellite tracking device attached so people could follow his progress on the Sirtrack website and the Our Far South website.

Since he arrived at Peka Peka Beach, he has undergone four operations.

- Reporting by The New Zealand Herald/NZPA

 

 

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