Saturday, June 25, 2011

Penguin Swims Alphabet

Went from A to Z.

"Wrong turn lands penguin in New Zealand" June 22, 2011|Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — He’s healthy, well-fed, and far from home. And he’s become the most popular attraction on a New Zealand beach. If only he could talk.

A young penguin apparently took a wrong turn while swimming near Antarctica and endured a 2,000-mile journey to New Zealand, the first time in 44 years that one of the creatures has been sighted here in the wild....

The penguin appeared healthy, with plenty of body fat.... 

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"N.Z. zoo to operate on stranded penguin" by Associated Press / June 25, 2011

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A stranded emperor penguin was moved to a zoo yesterday and scheduled for surgery as the young bird’s health worsened in the New Zealand winter that is much warmer than its species’ Antarctic home.

The penguin appeared healthy after it was first spotted Monday but has appeared more lethargic as the week progressed, and officials feared it would die if they didn’t intervene.  

Reminds me of my daily journey flipping through the Globe.

The penguin has been eating sand and small sticks of driftwood on North Island’s Peka Peka Beach. It may have mistaken sand for snow, which it eats for hydration in the Antarctic climate where emperors usually spend their entire lives.

Wellington Zoo staff said the bird was dehydrated and suffering heat exhaustion....

Zoo vet science manager Lisa Argilla said the bird was spirited and zoo staff didn’t want it to suffer. They tried to manually clear debris from the bird’s throat, but it still seemed to blocked, so the staff scheduled surgery for today....  

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