My New Zealand Vacation - Happy Foot missing

[Pengwuino]

http://www.watoday.com.au/environme...rn-ends-up-in-new-zealand-20110622-1gebr.html

He's healthy, well-fed and far from home. And he's quickly become the most popular attraction on a New Zealand beach. If only he could talk.

A young penguin apparently took a wrong turn while swimming near Antarctica and endured a 2000-mile (3200-kilometre) journey to New Zealand, the first time in 44 years that one of the creatures has been sighted here in the wild.

lolololololololol DISCUSS.

 

[Evo]

They're not going to try to save it and just "let nature take it's course"?? It's a miracle it survived until now, so let's just let it die. The poor thing is eating sand now.

WTH is wrong with people?

 

[apeiron]

They're not going to try to save it and just "let nature take it's course"?? It's a miracle it survived until now, so let's just let it die. The poor thing is eating sand now.

WTH is wrong with people?

There are some thought-out principles regarding wildlife here.

What would "saving it" look like? It could not be repatriated to Antarctica - both for strict biohazard reasons and the fact that there won't be any flights going that way for a few months (it's winter!).

It will probably be left to head back to sea, or be put down if it is suffering.

But as I say, this is a standard dilemma. I was in Antarctica last year and a whole flock of cute Adelie penguins came past, disoriented and heading inland.

The penguin scientist I was with said if they don't turn round, they will be dead. They are going the wrong way and will starve. But there is a strong official policy of not interfering with nature down there. So we stood and watched. (They turned around and probably were OK you'll be relieved to hear .)

As for penguins, we have little ones that paddle in the harbour and make their burrows under people's houses here. There will be plenty agonising over the fate of this Emperor.

 

[Evo]

There are some thought-out principles regarding wildlife here.

What would "saving it" look like? It could not be repatriated to Antarctica - both for strict biohazard reasons and the fact that there won't be any flights going that way for a few months (it's winter!).

It will probably be left to head back to sea, or be put down if it is suffering.

But as I say, this is a standard dilemma. I was in Antarctica last year and a whole flock of cute Adelie penguins came past, disoriented and heading inland.

The penguin scientist I was with said if they don't turn round, they will be dead. They are going the wrong way and will starve. But there is a strong official policy of not interfering with nature down there. So we stood and watched. (They turned around and probably were OK you'll be relieved to hear .)

As for penguins, we have little ones that paddle in the harbour and make their burrows under people's houses here. There will be plenty agonising over the fate of this Emperor.

Then someone, a zoo even, needs to take the baby in. The fact that he has such great survival skills could boost the breed.

 

[Proton Soup]

Then someone, a zoo even, needs to take the baby in. The fact that he has such great survival skills could boost the breed.

but then he might try to take over the world, and we'd just end up having to call in Batman.

 

[zoobyshoe]

lolololololololol DISCUSS.

I think you misunderstood the joys of a vacation on a sandy beach, Penguino. You're not supposed to eat it.

 

[apeiron]

Then someone, a zoo even, needs to take the baby in. The fact that he has such great survival skills could boost the breed.

I'm sure zoo keepers are already rubbing their hands.

But as to boosting the breed, seems like this guy has dangerously defective navigation skills.

 

[Evo]

I'm sure zoo keepers are already rubbing their hands.

But as to boosting the breed, seems like this guy has dangerously defective navigation skills.

He could have been caught in a current that killed off all of the others, yet he alone survived with his expert skills. It's not easy to survive what he survived, that is one unique penguin.

 

[Pengwuino]

He could have been caught in a current that killed off all of the others, yet he alone survived with his expert skills. It's not easy to survive what he survived, that is one unique penguin.

You've been watching too many Disney movies Evo.

 

[Loren Booda]

What if the Native Americans said of the Pilgrims (pidgin for "penguins") "let Nature take its course"?

 

[zooxanthellae]

I'm reminded of this awesome clip from Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World", which I watched a couple of days ago:

 

[AlephZero]

Compared with Albert the Albatross, who spent about 40 years in the wrong hemisphere, this kid has done nothing yet.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article1764097.ece
http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob140.htm

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Here is another poor penguin. Caveat: violence and language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8mUTHO6P8k

 

[micromass]

Wait, they're just letting the penguin starve to dead?

 

[rhody]

Here is another poor penguin. Caveat: violence and language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8mUTHO6P8k

Kaa-zing... Jimmy scores... again...

Rhody...

 

[apeiron]

"Happy Feet" has been whisked off to Wellington Zoo as his/her condition deteriorated and public pressure built. Next stop, tipped over the side of the next season's toothfishing fleet probably.

 

[Evo]

"Happy Feet" has been whisked off to Wellington Zoo as his/her condition deteriorated and public pressure built.

Thank goodness.

Next stop, tipped over the side of the next season's toothfishing fleet probably.

 

[apeiron]

Thank goodness.

Medical update. Penguin has been on the vet's table and the sand sucked out of its gut. Is now noshing on ice and being offered a slurry of fish meal. X-ray of the bird in the paper today.

 

[micromass]

Good that he's doing ok!

 

[Pengwuino]

Stupid penguin gets treated better by you people than I do

 

[Evo]

Good that he's doing ok!

No, he's very sick! they let him eat sand and sticks all week instead of helping him. Don't let him die micro!

[PLAIN]http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/06/24/penguin_AP11062415355_620x350.jpg

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/24/501364/main20074034.shtml

 

[micromass]

No, he's very sick! they let him eat sand and sticks all week instead of helping him.

I know But at least they've got the sand out of his system now so he can recover.

 

[micromass]

Stupid penguin gets treated better by you people than I do

*hands peng a bucket of sand*

 

[Evo]

*hands peng a bucket of sand*

*Hands Peng some sticks*

 

[Pengwuino]

*hands peng a bucket of sand*

nomnomnom

 

[Evo]

Medical update. Penguin has been on the vet's table and the sand sucked out of its gut. Is now noshing on ice and being offered a slurry of fish meal. X-ray of the bird in the paper today.

But they say they don't have facilities to take care of his type. Hopefully someone will transport him to a suitable facility, then eventually back to Antartica.

I wonder how he traveled so far, an iceberg? I mean penguins can't swim 24/7 right? He must have washed out on some ice and was sticking near it for rest.

 

[Evo]

nomnomnom

I can't mistreat our Peng, throws Peng a bucket of fresh fish.

 

[Pengwuino]

But they say they don't have facilities to take care of his type. Hopefully someone will transport him to a suitable facility, then eventually back to Antartica.

I wonder how he traveled so far, an iceberg? I mean penguins can't swim 24/7 right? He must have washed out on some ice and was sticking near it for rest.

I was reading in one of the articles that penguins can stay in water for something like 2 months.

 

[Evo]

I was reading in one of the articles that penguins can stay in water for something like 2 months.

Really? They are mas macho than I knew.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Really? They are mas macho than I knew.

Especially the women.

 

[Evo]

Especially the women.

Remember the old SNL skit "Quien es mas macho? Lloyd Bridges es mas macho."

 

[Astronuc]

I was reading in one of the articles that penguins can stay in water for something like 2 months.

Once summer comes, they spend months at sea.

From Seaworld.org - "Some species spend as much as 75% of their lives at sea."
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/penguins/distribution.html
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/penguins/adaptations.html

"Different species travel various distances from the colony in search of food.

a. Hunting areas may range from 15 km (9 mi.) from the colony for Adélies to nearly 900 km (559 mi.) from the colony for king penguins (del Hoyo, et al., 1992). Emperor penguins may cover 164 to 1,454 km (102-903 mi.) in a single foraging trip (Ancel, et al., 1992)."
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/penguins/diet.html


Pengwuino gets a date
http://www.otago-peninsula.co.nz/yelloweyedpenguins.html

 

[apeiron]

latest...

Multimillionaire philanthropist Gareth Morgan is coming to the rescue of Happy Feet, the stranded and desperately ill penguin.

Morgan said that if Happy Feet survives, he would take it back to Antarctica on a Russian icebreaker.

The Kiwisaver provider is leading an expedition to the Ross Sea on the Spirit of Enderby in February and said Happy Feet and a Conservation Department minder could come along for the ride.

Happy Feet was welcome to jump ship if it met other emperor penguins along the way, Morgan said.

Yesterday's operation was watched by about 100 people behind a glass partition and a zoo spokesperson said the procedure went well.

In addition to the comforts of air-con and shaved ice, Happy Feet is also hooked up to an IV drip to keep up its fluids.

Vets, via Twitter, have also remarked that while everyone has been referring to Happy Feet as a "he", it will take a few more days to determine its sex.

Happy Feet weighs about 27kg and is making headlines worldwide because of its 4000km swim to New Zealand.

The last known emperor penguin to visit New Zealand shores arrived at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967. It was released into Foveaux Strait.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5193679/From-Kiwisaver-to-penguin-saver

 

[Evo]

Aww, thanks Apeiron, very happy news indeed!

Come on Happy Feet, get well!

 

[rhody]

Aww, thanks Apeiron, very happy news indeed!

Come on Happy Feet, get well!

Amazing what can be done when people see a problem and pitch in isn't it ?

Let's hope Happy Feet has a happy life, thanks Aperion, and Evo for the coverage and kind words.

Rhody...