‘Happy Feet Jr.’ found stranded in New Zealand

A penguin dubbed Happy Feet junior has been found stranded 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) from home in New Zealand, reviving memories of another wayward penguin that washed up in 2011. The latest wandering stray was discovered close to death on the coast south of Wellington over the weekend and taken to the capital’s zoo suffering from malnutrition and kidney failure. Wellington Zoo veterinary surgeon Lisa Argilla said it was a juvenile royal penguin, which had drifted far from a breeding colony in sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and was believed to be the first ever seen in the North Island. The original Happy Feet, named after the hit 2006 animated film, was an emperor penguin stranded near Wellington in June 2011, attracting worldwide interest during its eight-week recuperation at the zoo. If the latest penguin makes a recovery it will be released off the coast of the South Island, where royal penguins occasionally turn up, and left to swim back home.

Read more on TVNZ.