Stranded Happy Feet Jr Found in New Zealand

A juvenile royal penguin has been found stranded on the coast south of Wellington almost 2,000 km away from its home. It is believed that the juvenile penguin moved away from its breeding colony in Sub Antarctica Macquarie Island.

This is the first penguin to be spotted in the North Island and has been named as Happy Feet Jr. The penguin was discovered close to death and was shifted to the capital's zoo.

 It was reported by the officials that the penguin was suffering from malnutrition and kidney failure.

The Wellington Zoo veterinary surgeon, Lisa Argilla, was quoted in AFP stating, "He's probably left Macquarie in February last year and been caught in a current as he's been feeding and ended up here."

She said that the penguin was discovered in a very dreadful condition as both its kidneys were functioning. "We hope to feed him up and bring him back to good health," she added.

In 2011, an emperor penguin was found stranded near Wellington and was named Happy Feet after the superhit animated movie. And during its eight week recovery period at the zoo, it  garnered a lot of public attention.

It was lucky as celebrity Stephen Fry visited it before being released and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key gave his best wishes. The penguin was finally released into the Southern Ocean by a New Zealand research ship, reports AFP.

The researchers attached a tracking device to the bird, which stopped transmitting after a few days. The team tracking the bird say that the penguin might have been eaten by a shark.

Argilla says once Happy Feet Jr recovers from its health problems, it will be released off the coast of South Island.