A wayward emperor penguin has been released into Antarctica 20 days after swimming more than 3,000 miles from his home there. He was released from the Parks and Wildlife Service boat on Wednesday. In particular, this penguin, affectionately named “Gus”, made international headlines after it was discovered on an Australian beach. The young penguin, estimated to be about 3 feet tall, was discovered by a surfer at Ocean Beach on November 1. He was found exhausted but alive, making this a rare sighting of this penguin in the north.
According to ABC News, The gas is believed to have swam thousands of kilometers, possibly thrown off course by ocean currents. Gus was taken in by local wildlife rescuer Carol Biddulph, who nursed him back to health. He was significantly underweight, weighing only 47 pounds, compared to the average emperor penguin's weight of 88 pounds.
A rare encounter with an emperor penguin endemic to Antarctica on an Australian beach $GUS pic.twitter.com/JwN5szdmoK
— SupaHotPonke (@ChrisCross6847) November 15, 2024
“From the beginning we really didn't know if he was going to survive because he was undernourished. I'm going to miss Gus. It's been an incredible few weeks and I wouldn't have missed it,” said Biddulph. commented. Video recorded before the birds were released.
Under Biddulph's care, Gus regained his strength and increased his weight to about 55 pounds. He was fed sardine food and was eating about 20 fish three times a day by the time he was released.
After 20 days of rehabilitation, the gas was returned to the Southern Ocean on November 21. He was taken to an undisclosed location where he was placed in a ventilated pet carrier with an ice pack inside. Once released, Gus fell onto his belly into the water and swam away without looking back.
“It's amazing. He knew where he was supposed to be and he just disappeared without looking back. It's just amazing. … He was ready for it,” Biddulph said. said.
Experts aren't yet sure how the gas ended up so far from the house, but it could have been caught in a current while searching for food or thrown off course by a storm. A theory is being considered. Penguins are naturally curious and wandering, but they are not known to travel as far as Gus.
Others believe that changing environmental conditions may have caused food and resources in Antarctica to become scarce, forcing Gus to make the epic swim to Australia in search of food.
