An emperor penguin named Happy Feet arrived at Peka Peka Beach in the Kāpiti Coast District of New Zealand's North Island in June 2011 after travelling about 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Antarctica. He is one of the northernmost emperor penguins ever recorded outside of captivity, and the second emperor penguin to be found in New Zealand. After arriving, he ingested sand on the beach, likely mistaking it for snow, and filled his proventriculus with it. He soon became lethargic, dehydrated and overheated and was transported to Wellington Zoo, where he was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. Most of the sand was removed, and he was kept at the zoo for 10 weeks to recover. Happy Feet was released in the Southern Ocean on 4 September 2011, about 78 kilometres (48 mi) north of Campbell Island, at the 51st parallel. He was fitted with a satellite transmitter to track his location, but the device ceased transmission on 9 September, possibly due to the transmitter falling off or the penguin being preyed upon. The arrival of the bird, who was named after the 2006 animated film Happy Feet, which features emperor penguins, was featured in reports by more than 600 media outlets worldwide. The event raised the public's awareness of wildlife, and for some time received more media attention than New Zealand prime minister John Key. Happy Feet was one of Time's runner-ups for the 2011 Animal of the Year. He was also the subject of a children's book written by Christine Wilton, who first sighted the penguin at the beach, and another children's book published by Penguin Books in late 2011.
Arrival
Happy Feet was first sighted in the early afternoon of 20 June 2011 at Paraparaumu Beach, in the Kāpiti Coast District of New Zealand's North Island. A few hours later, he was seen again a few kilometres to the north at Peka Peka Beach by Christine Wilton, a Kāpiti resident walking her dog. The bird swam approximately 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi) from Antarctica to reach New Zealand, arriving just a few kilometres south of the northernmost recorded sighting of an emperor penguin, which occurred in Argentina. The reason for his presence so far from his natural habitat is unknown; however, the veterinarian Lisa Argilla has speculated that he may have been unwell or carried off course by an ocean current. Another theory was that the penguin was wandering, a behaviour which ecologists believe to have evolved as a way to establish new colonies by chance, despite its high likelihood of resulting in death. His arrival marked only the second recorded instance of an emperor penguin in New Zealand, the first having been found in 1967 at Southland's Oreti Beach. After the dog walker sighted Happy Feet at Peka Peka Beach, she notified the Department of Conservation (DOC) Waikanae office and a ranger subsequently inspected the bird, which initially appeared to be in good health. The penguin was first thought to be approximately three years old, but further analysis suggested that he was about 11 months old at the time of his arrival. He had a height of about 1 metre (3 ft), and was determined to be male two weeks after his arrival, based on DNA testing of a feather sample. The bird was named "Happy Feet" by the woman who first observed him, after the 2006 film Happy Feet, which features emperor penguins. As thousands of people viewed Happy Feet at the beach, concerns arose about the potential danger the public posed to the penguin. In response, the Kāpiti Coast District Council closed the beach to vehicles and posted security guards, and locals kept watch over the penguin 24 hours a day. A cordon was placed around Happy Feet and it was ensured that he had access to the sea at all times. DOC co-ordinated this protection effort due to the Wildlife Act 1953, which requires the department to protect self-introduced vagrant birds. At the beach, Happy Feet ingested sand, probably mistaking it for snow, which emperor penguins naturally consume to hydrate and cool themselves. Experts initially chose not to intervene because they did not know whether the bird would regurgitate the sand on his own, and because he appeared to be in a good state of health. However, by the morning of 24 June, Happy Feet was lethargic, dehydrated, had difficulty swallowing and occasionally attempted to expel sand. He was also suffering from heat stress, as the air temperature of about 10 °C (50 °F) was warmer than what emperor penguins are accustomed to. Because of this, at noon on the same day, DOC and Te Papa museum staff placed Happy Feet into an ice-filled plastic tub and transported him to Wellington Zoo's animal hospital The Nest Te Kōhanga.
Healthcare
After Happy Feet arrived at the zoo, veterinarians anaesthetised him and took X-rays, revealing that his oesophagus and proventriculus (stomach) were full of sand. A stomach rupture was considered possible, and he was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. He was put on an intravenous drip due to dehydration, and had water pumped down his throat to flush out most of the sand from his oesophagus, but it still remained in his proventriculus. Overnight, Happy Feet excreted some sand, indicating that a portion had moved through his digestive system. To encourage him to expel the material, he was given oily foods and laxatives. On 27 June, veterinarians flushed sand out of Happy Feet's proventriculus, using an endoscope to view the contents, a method also used in subsequent procedures. This was conducted in front of about 100 spectators, who observed through a window. The following day, about half of the sand was removed, and on 2 July, a fourth and final procedure was performed to flush out additional stomach contents. On the same day, X-rays taken to confirm that all the sand had been removed revealed small stones in the penguin's proventriculus. In total, about 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) of sand was removed. At the zoo, Happy Feet's enclosure was kept at 8 °C (46 °F) and was fitted with a bed of ice to mimic his natural environment. The penguin was provided access to an outdoor saltwater pool, which he swam in when air temperatures were sufficiently low. He was in Wellington for 10 weeks.
Release
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