KAPTAAN
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First he needed a little push, then
he sped backward down a
makeshift slide, and finally he
popped his head up for one last
look.
And then he was gone.
The wayward emperor penguin
dubbed "Happy Feet" was
released into the ocean south of
New Zealand on Sunday, more
than two months after he came
ashore on a beach far from home
and won the hearts of people
across the world.
Speaking from a satellite phone
aboard the research vessel
Tangaroa, Wellington Zoo
veterinarian Lisa Argilla said
Happy Feet's release went
remarkably smoothly given that
the boat was being tossed about
in 25-foot (8-meter) swells in the
unforgiving sub-Antarctic ocean.
Argilla said crew members from
the boat carried the penguin
inside his custom-built crate to
the stern of the ship for his final
send-off. The crew had already
cut the engines and put in place a
canvas slide that they soaked
with water from a hose.
But when they opened the door
of the crate, the penguin showed
no interest in leaving.
"I needed to give him a little a tap
on his back," Argilla said.
The penguin slipped down the
slide on his stomach, bum first,
she said. He resurfaced about 6
feet (2 meters) from the boat,
took a look up at the people
aboard, and then disappeared
beneath the surface.
"I was really happy to see him
go," Argilla said. "The best part of
my job is when you get to release
animals back into the wild where
they are supposed to be."
The 3-foot-tall (meter-tall) aquatic
bird was found June 20 on Peka
Peka Beach, about 40 miles (65
kilometers) northwest of New
Zealand's capital, Wellington. It
had been 44 years since an
emperor penguin was last
spotted in the wild in New
Zealand.
At first, conservation authorities
said they would wait and let
nature take its course with the
penguin. But it soon became clear
the bird's condition was
deteriorating, as he scooped up
beaks full of sand and swallowed,
likely mistaking it for snow, which
emperor penguins eat for its
moisture when in Antarctica.
With the world watching,
authorities finally took action,
moving the penguin to the
Wellington Zoo four days after he
was discovered.
At the zoo, the 3 1/2-year-old bird
underwent numerous stomach
flushing procedures to remove
sand from his digestive system.
He was given a makeshift home
in a room that zoo staff kept filled
with a bed of ice so he wouldn't
overheat.
A local television station, TV3, set
up a Web cam and streamed
images of the bird around-the-
clock. Soon, Happy Feet had a
quarter-million followers.
And, perhaps befitting of a bird
from the Internet age, those
followers will be able to keep
track of him for a while longer.
Happy Feet has been fitted with a
GPS tracker, and his movements
will be posted online. Argilla
expects the tracker to fall off the
next time the bird molts.
Argilla said the final boat journey,
which began last Monday and ran
into terrible weather, was difficult
for her — she got seasick — and
the crew. The one who seemed
least bothered, she said, was
Happy Feet, who rolled with the
swells, slept standing up and took
nips at the crew when they fed
him fresh fish.
Now that Happy Feet has been
nursed back to health, Argilla said
his chances are as good as they
are for any other penguin in the
wild.
"He swam away, not caring about
us anymore," Argilla said.
She paused.
"And that's a good thing," she
said.
he sped backward down a
makeshift slide, and finally he
popped his head up for one last
look.
And then he was gone.
The wayward emperor penguin
dubbed "Happy Feet" was
released into the ocean south of
New Zealand on Sunday, more
than two months after he came
ashore on a beach far from home
and won the hearts of people
across the world.
Speaking from a satellite phone
aboard the research vessel
Tangaroa, Wellington Zoo
veterinarian Lisa Argilla said
Happy Feet's release went
remarkably smoothly given that
the boat was being tossed about
in 25-foot (8-meter) swells in the
unforgiving sub-Antarctic ocean.
Argilla said crew members from
the boat carried the penguin
inside his custom-built crate to
the stern of the ship for his final
send-off. The crew had already
cut the engines and put in place a
canvas slide that they soaked
with water from a hose.
But when they opened the door
of the crate, the penguin showed
no interest in leaving.
"I needed to give him a little a tap
on his back," Argilla said.
The penguin slipped down the
slide on his stomach, bum first,
she said. He resurfaced about 6
feet (2 meters) from the boat,
took a look up at the people
aboard, and then disappeared
beneath the surface.
"I was really happy to see him
go," Argilla said. "The best part of
my job is when you get to release
animals back into the wild where
they are supposed to be."
The 3-foot-tall (meter-tall) aquatic
bird was found June 20 on Peka
Peka Beach, about 40 miles (65
kilometers) northwest of New
Zealand's capital, Wellington. It
had been 44 years since an
emperor penguin was last
spotted in the wild in New
Zealand.
At first, conservation authorities
said they would wait and let
nature take its course with the
penguin. But it soon became clear
the bird's condition was
deteriorating, as he scooped up
beaks full of sand and swallowed,
likely mistaking it for snow, which
emperor penguins eat for its
moisture when in Antarctica.
With the world watching,
authorities finally took action,
moving the penguin to the
Wellington Zoo four days after he
was discovered.
At the zoo, the 3 1/2-year-old bird
underwent numerous stomach
flushing procedures to remove
sand from his digestive system.
He was given a makeshift home
in a room that zoo staff kept filled
with a bed of ice so he wouldn't
overheat.
A local television station, TV3, set
up a Web cam and streamed
images of the bird around-the-
clock. Soon, Happy Feet had a
quarter-million followers.
And, perhaps befitting of a bird
from the Internet age, those
followers will be able to keep
track of him for a while longer.
Happy Feet has been fitted with a
GPS tracker, and his movements
will be posted online. Argilla
expects the tracker to fall off the
next time the bird molts.
Argilla said the final boat journey,
which began last Monday and ran
into terrible weather, was difficult
for her — she got seasick — and
the crew. The one who seemed
least bothered, she said, was
Happy Feet, who rolled with the
swells, slept standing up and took
nips at the crew when they fed
him fresh fish.
Now that Happy Feet has been
nursed back to health, Argilla said
his chances are as good as they
are for any other penguin in the
wild.
"He swam away, not caring about
us anymore," Argilla said.
She paused.
"And that's a good thing," she
said.
