MELBOURNE, Australia — A lone emperor penguin, believed to have swum over 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) from Antarctica to Australia, has been released back into the wild 20 days after his unexpected arrival on a tourist beach in Western Australia.
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The adult male penguin, nicknamed Gus by his caretaker, was discovered on November 1 in the sand dunes of Ocean Beach in the town of Denmark, far from his Antarctic home. This marked the first recorded instance of an emperor penguin reaching Australia, according to local officials.
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Rescued and Rehabilitated
Gus was severely undernourished when found, weighing only 21.3 kilograms (47 pounds) — well below the average weight for a healthy male emperor penguin, which can exceed 45 kilograms (100 pounds). He was entrusted to wildlife caregiver Carol Biddulph, who provided intensive care and ensured his recovery.
“I really didn’t know whether he was going to make it to begin with because he was so undernourished,” Biddulph said in a government-released video.
Under her care, Gus gained significant weight, reaching 24.7 kilograms (54 pounds). Biddulph credited the use of mirrors during his rehabilitation, explaining that the reflective surfaces gave Gus a sense of companionship.
“They’re social birds, and he stands next to the mirror most of the time,” she said.
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A Historic Return to the Wild
On Wednesday, Gus was released into the Southern Ocean from a Parks and Wildlife Service boat that traveled several hours from Albany, the state’s southernmost city. Although the exact distance of the release point was not disclosed, officials emphasized the urgency of returning Gus to the ocean before the arrival of summer temperatures.
“With the Southern Hemisphere summer approaching, it was crucial to get Gus back to an environment where he could thermoregulate,” a government statement explained.
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A Rare Visitor to Australia
Emperor penguins, the world’s largest penguin species, are native to Antarctica and are not typically found in Australia. University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell noted that while emperor penguins have occasionally been spotted in New Zealand, Gus’s arrival in Australia was unprecedented.
Emperor penguins are known to travel up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) during foraging trips, but Gus’s journey north to Australia was extraordinary.
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An Emotional Farewell
Biddulph expressed mixed emotions about parting with Gus, saying, “I’ll miss Gus. It’s been an incredible few weeks, something I wouldn’t have missed.”
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As Gus returned to the ocean, his remarkable journey became a testament to the resilience of wildlife and the dedication of those who care for them.
