Follow Up of the Day: Happy Feet, the wayward penguin that ended up on New Zealand’s North Island, was recently released back into the wild after spending two months at Wellington Zoo getting, well, well.
Veterinarians sent the juvenile Emperor Penguin sliding into Southern Ocean waters just north of Campbell Island along with a GPS device to track his journey home.
Sadly, the signal was suddenly lost a week after Happy Feet began his long swim back to his colony, and it is feared he may have fallen prey to a killer whale.
Some, however, believe the glued-on tracker simply fell off, and that Happy Feet may very well be happy and healthy. “Of the natural predators, leopard seals would be far further south, around the Antarctic continent, at this time,” said Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences Associate Professor John Cockrem. “I also think the chances of meeting an orca are pretty small.”
Though We may never learn the truth, Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla says Happy Feet did a lot of good during his short time in New Zealand, helping to raise awareness of conservation issues, and “that makes every cent spent [on him] worthwhile.”
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