Emperor Penguin at Peka Peka, Kapiti Coast

[Steps]

In hindsight, eating sand was a bad sign, but it might just as likely passed the sand, waddled back down the beach and started swimming for colder water (or at least out of sight). If it had been 'rescued' in the first couple of days there would probably have been an equal outcry that it should be left to its own devices

That is a very good piont....I would have thought it would have been prudent of DoC to maybe google or even ring around say the LA zoo who I believe have these birds, for advice on that, and the effects of the warm temps, very early...which I think if it had been they would have been told "get that bird into a chiller now".
DoC does have a record of going off on what it thinks, rather than consult experianced people outside DoC for opinions, but does have a record of the grass roots guys consulting "off the record" before getting over ruled from above.
Personal experiance, on more than 1 occassion been rung and visted.

[Byrd]

there's a live webcam of the penguin in his dark-room at the zoo hospital here: http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/3NewsLiveS ... tream.aspx

[Byrd]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5224012 ... ting-table

Happy Feet the emperor penguin is one cup of sand lighter after his fourth operation at Wellington Zoo this morning.

Vets today flushed about 300 grams of sand, rocks and liquid from his stomach before taking x-rays.

The juvenile penguin, found 4000 kilometres from home at a Kapiti Coast beach, was now recovering in its temperature-controlled room.

Wellington Zoo veterinary manager Lisa Argilla said she would wait for x-ray results to asses whether Happy Feet needed another stomach flush.

She said the penguin was making good progress and was digesting its fish milkshakes.

"We didn't flush any [fish] out of his stomach, so that's a good sign.

"That's what I was worried about. If there is obstruction with sand then that fish milkshake is sitting in his stomach fermenting."

Argilla said invasive surgery could still be in the cards if the penguin's health deteriorated, but she wants to avoid it at any cost.

"We'd have to pluck his feathers [to access his stomach] and he would have a greater chance of dying. There are heaps of other complications associated with surgery as well."

Argilla said she was also concerned about aspergillosis disease, which penguins are prone to when under stress.

The zoo had Happy Feet on medication to prevent the fungal disease but it was still at risk.

"That's why the sooner we can get him in the wild the better, but we need to get him fit enough that he will have a fair chance of surviving."

If he recovers fully, the penguin is set to be released into the Southern Ocean to fend for itself, rather than transporting it to Antarctica.

Philanthropist Gareth Morgan was offering to help with its transportation.

Yesterday, he also launched a campaign to raise funds for food and help with care costs - for every dollar donated, he would match it.

"He has been very generous. This [penguin], every week, is quite expensive to hospitalise. [It] is so big he uses extra of everything," Argilla said.

Wildlife tracking company Sirtrack has offered to build a tracking device for the penguin, giving Kiwis the chance to follow its movements after release.

[Neil Fitzgerald]

This 4000km from home business is starting to bother me. If you define home as the breeding colony, fair enough. But, we also hear it described as the northern limit of their range (I guess this bird defines this). So, perhaps a more useful measure might be distance from average wintering latitude of juvenile emperor penguins. Does anyone know what this might be? Mean, median, whichever there is data for.

Neil.

[Colin Miskelly]

The natural range of juvenile emperor penguins is north to 41 degrees south (i.e. Peka Peka Beach). Unfortunately that appears to be a dangerous environment for emperor penguins (sand, dogs, people in that order). Other young emperor penguins in the Ross Sea / Pacific quadrant have ranged to 55 degrees south (Macquarie Island), and satellite-tracked juveniles have reached 57 degrees south, but this is based on a sample of 16 only (Kooyman et al. 1996; Kooyman & Ponganis 2008). The difference between 41 degrees and 57 degrees latitude is close on 1800 km, which provides plenty of latitude for debate!

The bird that came ashore at Oreti Beach (Southland, 46.5 degrees south) in April 1967 was in adult plumage, but may have been a pre-breeder also, as adults should be at the breeding colonies then.

Colin Miskelly

[Neil Fitzgerald]

Thanks Colin. Great info. To clarify, is this Peka Peka bird the only one known as far as 41 degrees?

[Colin Miskelly]

There are at least 8 records from Tierra del Fuego (approx 55 degrees south). There are no others known from as far north as the two New Zealand records.

Regards
Colin

[Neil Fitzgerald]

I've uploaded some of the photos I took of the emperor penguin to my website.

[Byrd]

isn't this where Bluebird should be stepping in? (See post on page 7)
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-storie ... cal-bills/

The public is being asked to help with the cost of medical care of Wellington's globe-trotting penguin.

The Emperor penguin is still undergoing procedures at Wellington Zoo after swallowing large amounts of sand from Peka Peka beach.

However Zoo spokesperson Kate Baker says the procedures don't come cheap, and the Zoo and DOC are asking for help to pay his medical bills.

"Basically we've got a special fund just for the care of Happy Feet. We've estimated it'll be about $10,000 over the course of the penguin's stay at the zoo. So basically we've been taking donations and Gareth Morgan has offered to match it, up to $10,000," she says.
Ms Baker says vets have now flushed most of the sand from the penguin's stomach, but recent x-rays show he's also been eating a lot of rocks.

[Colin Miskelly]

DNA sexing of feather samples has revealed that the Peka Peka Beach emperor penguin is a male.

Regards
Colin