Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

The emperor penguin who was found thousands of kilometres from home at a Kapiti Coast beach is set to be released into the Southern Ocean to fend for itself, when it regathers its strength.

The Antarctic bird, dubbed Happy Feet, has been in surgery at Wellington Zoo after it became seriously ill from eating sand and sticks on Peka Peka beach.

The penguin advisory committee this morning decided the preferred option would be to release Happy Feet into the Southern Ocean, rather than transporting it to Antarctica.

This is the northern edge of the known range of juvenile emperor penguins.

"The reason for not returning the penguin directly to Antarctica is that emperor penguins of this age are usually found north of Antarctica on pack ice and in the open ocean" DOC biodiversity officer Peter Simpson said.

The penguin will not be released until it is deemed well enough to have a reasonable chance of survival.

It will stay at Wellington Zoo in the meantime.

X-rays today revealed that Happy Feet the emperor penguin is making excellent progress.

Wellington Zoo veterinary manager Lisa Argilla said x-rays taken this morning showed the penguin had passed about half the sand in his system.

She expected he would be able to pass the rest of the sand naturally and at this stage another endoscopy would not be necessary.

"He's doing better. He's a lot stronger and he's moving around a lot," Argilla said.

Happy Feet has come around from a general anesthetic and has been returned to his cold room of ice.

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International outrage was levelled at the Conservation Department after its early decision to leave Happy Feet to fend for himself at Peka Peka Beach.

Emails released to The Dominion Post reveal the scale of condemnation directed at DOC by people from around the world who believed intervention should have come sooner.

The emails also show how close Happy Feet was to being euthanased.

X-rays taken by Pacific Radiology yesterday showed the juvenile penguin was making good progress and half the sand had been passed from his stomach – the rest was expected to pass naturally.

Wellington Zoo vet science manager Lisa Argilla warned he was not out of the danger zone yet.

"If there's a stick we can't see. It just needs to angle incorrectly and it could jam and cause problems."

Although it was difficult to put a date on it, Happy Feet would probably stay at the zoo for a month before he could be released.

He would probably be given access to the "pool room", although icebergs may need to be made and placed in the water to make it colder.

Dr Argilla refused to comment on the potential for Happy Feet to experience psychological trauma, given that emperor penguins were used to socialising with other animals and spending time swimming and diving.

He would still be quite stressed, but was improving and moving around a bit more in the makeshift room he was being kept in. "When you handle him he's very stroppy."

Emails sent to DOC since Happy Feet's discovery show the strength of feeling against the agency's decision not to intervene immediately.

An email sent on from Kapiti area manager Rob Stone to the office of Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson also revealed the abuse became personal.

"I am concerned that as time goes on, the clamour for intervention will grow, and become political. The area programme manager managing this is receiving emails that are close to being abusive, from persons associated with animals rights causes.

"There is a danger that in time the penguin may grow weak and in danger of expiring on the beach in public view."

The following day, when the penguin was eventually moved, Mr Stone updated Ms Wilkinson and said his condition had deteriorated.

"A likely recommendation from vets will be to remove it from the beach [and therefore public view] to a clinic [Massey or possible Wellington Zoo] and then euthanasia."

Yesterday, a specially formed Penguin Advisory Committee decided the best option would be to release Happy Feet in the southern ocean, south east of New Zealand.

This is the northern edge of the known range of juvenile emperor penguins.

EMAILS SENT TO DOC ABOUT PENGUIN

-I was thinking that you were a human and responsible nation, but now I believe that I am wrong.

-You have decided to let him die, and it will be a very painful death. Starving and sweating to death. You have proved us to be nothing else than selfish and vile human beings. And the worst part is that you will pay this. You will suffer what this penguin is suffering.

-Why leave him there eating wet sand? I worry that he will be attracted by a predator of some kind or that he won't make it home safely.

-It is inhumane to sit back and watch him starve to death.

-If you need to find a place that is cold enough for Happy Feet, I am happy to offer my blimin cold flat in Mt Victoria which is only 10 minutes walk to the equally cold Oriental Bay beach.

-At least have the decency to euthanise this poor animal Please please help it get home, it is too sad to think of it never seeing emperor penguins again and it will never get there by itself.

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1 July 2011

The emperor penguin dubbed Happy Feet is scheduled to have another operation tomorrow.

Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said the penguin was in a "stable" condition and it was hoped a stomach flushing procedure at 11am tomorrow would remove more sand and debris from its stomach.

After the surgery the zoo hoped to x-ray the bird to see if further surgery was needed, Baker said.

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Although it was difficult to estimate how long it would take before Happy Feet was well enough to be released, Argilla said it was likely he would remain at Wellington Zoo for a month.

The zoo would need to ensure it could keep up the supply of party ice, and might need to get a larger air conditioning unit.

Recent cold weather meant it was easier to keep his small room cooler.

A webcam linked up to the dark room where the penguin is being kept showed him moving around a little and standing up on the ice.

Happy Feet is not on general display at the zoo.

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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.

Happy Feet was only the second emperor penguin known to have landed in New Zealand. The first one was found at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.

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Chlidonias 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.

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Penguin experts have suspected it all along, but DNA tests have proved Happy Feet is a boy.

Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said test results confirmed the penguin's sex today.

He was continuing to do well at the zoo, where he is being fattened up.

An expert panel has decided the best option for Happy Feet once he has gained weight is to release him in Sub Antarctic waters.

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Chip maker Bluebird is today expected to unveil a rescue plan for the country's most famous penguin.

The company said last night that it had been in contact with Wellington Zoo and would release details today of how it could help Happy Feet.

The penguin - only the second known emperor penguin to land in New Zealand - has captured the nation's hearts and his story has gone around the globe.

Wellington Zoo yesterday confirmed that Happy Feet was a "he" after DNA tests were completed.

Things are looking up for the penguin as new x-rays show almost all of the sand in his stomach is gone.

Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker said Happy Feet was doing really well and was back to eating solid foods.

He is now consuming 2kg of salmon a day.

"He gets to eat the nice fish now, not the mushy stuff," Ms Baker said.

Happy Feet had his fourth operation on Saturday, when about 300g of sand and rocks were flushed from his stomach.

Ms Baker says there are still some rocks in his stomach, but that is normal for a penguin.

"Our vet team sent the x-rays away to some people at Massey [University] just to check if the rocks can be left or if he is going to need another operation to have some of them removed."

Happy Feet's specially formed "penguin advisory group" decided last week that, provided he continuesto gain weight, he will be released south of New Zealand in about a month.

However there is still the issue of who will pay for Happy Feet'scare.

Investment advisor Gareth Morgan launched a campaign at the weekend to help pay for his care and food, and said he would match every dollar donated to Happy Feet.

Bluebird - which has used penguins in its adverts for decades - was first linked with the bird last week.

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