Pingu Lost – 300 miles from home

The penguin, which the locals called Pingu, was malnourished and severely dehydrated when it was found. It has since been given liquid and fed via a probe before being released back into the wild.

It’s unclear how and why the Pingu arrived in New Zealand, but this isn’t the first time adélie penguins have been seen off the coast of New Zealand. Two of these “rare tramps” have come to the country before, in 1993 and 1962.

Zoologist Philip Seddon says the penguin may have fallen into sea currents that made it so far from its home, but he doesn’t draw any further conclusions from the rare visit.

“If we start seeing penguins arrive every year, we can conclude that something in the sea has changed,” he tells THe is the guardian.

Warm water is a problem

Global warming has had different consequences for penguins in different parts of Antarctica. In some places sea ice is growing to itself, while in others it is shrinking. However, NASA estimates that the number of noble penguins will decline until the end of the century.

In New Zealand, warming surface waters have made it more difficult for native penguins to find food because fish seek deeper, cooler waters, according to The Guardian.