The penguin covered 3000 kilometers to New Zealand and was mistaken for a stuffed toy
kilometers from its natural habitat – Antarctica, BBC News reports.
Local resident Harry Singh, walking along the beach with his wife, suddenly noticed a penguin on the shore. At first he thought it was a soft toy, but then the penguin turned his head. “He hadn't moved for an hour and looked haggard,” Singh said.
The couple called rescuers to take care of the penguin. According to Singh, he and his wife did not want the penguin to accidentally become prey for dogs.
Rescuers found out that this penguin is a representative of the Adélie species, which lives exclusively on the Antarctic Peninsula. After examination and analysis, the veterinarians stated that the penguin was underweight and severely dehydrated. They promised to bring the penguin's vital signs back to normal and then release it to a safe beach.
This is the third recorded case in history that the Adélie penguin made his way to the coast of New Zealand. According to experts, the too frequent appearance of Adélie penguins in New Zealand may become an alarming sign that speaks of changes in the oceans.
Earlier, scientists from the European Climate Change Service Copernicus said that the level of the oceans is rising at a record speed due to melting glaciers, and climate change on the planet has already reached catastrophic proportions.