MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A remarkable emperor penguin, the first of its kind recorded to have migrated from Antarctica to Australia, was released back into the ocean on Wednesday, following a 20-day stay on a popular tourist beach, officials announced on Friday.
This adult male penguin, affectionately named Gus by his caregiver Carol Biddulph, was discovered on November 1, resting on the sand dunes of Ocean Beach in Denmark, located in temperate southwest Australia, approximately 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) from its native icy Antarctic waters.
After undergoing rehabilitation, during which he gained weight from 21.3 kilograms (47 pounds) to a healthier 24.7 kilograms (54 pounds), Gus was released from a Parks and Wildlife Service boat. Prior to the release, the boat traveled for several hours from Albany, the southernmost city in Western Australia.
Biddulph shared her initial concerns about Gus’s survival due to his undernourished condition. “I wasn’t sure he would make it because he was so undernourished,” she said in a video released by the government. “I’ll miss Gus. It’s been an incredible few weeks, something I wouldn’t have missed.”
To help Gus rehabilitate, Biddulph had learned from experience with other lone penguins that mirrors can provide comforting companionship. “He absolutely loves his big mirror, and I believe it has been crucial to his well-being. They’re social birds, and he is often found standing next to the mirror,” she explained.
Gus stands at 1 meter (39 inches) tall. While healthy male emperor penguins typically weigh over 45 kilograms (100 pounds), his significant weight gain is a positive sign of recovery. The government emphasized the importance of releasing Gus into the ocean as the Southern Hemisphere summer approaches, allowing him to thermoregulate effectively.
University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell noted that while emperor penguins have occasionally been spotted in New Zealand, this marks the first time the largest penguin species has been reported in Australia.
Emperor penguins are known to travel extensive distances, covering around 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) during foraging trips that can last up to a month, thus highlighting Gus’s extraordinary journey.
