An emperor penguin took a wrong turn while swimming around in the Indian Ocean, and ended up on a New Zealand Beach on Tuesday, 2,000 miles from its home. Now the penguin, nicknamed Happy Feet, faces a tough struggle: surviving a belly full of sand.
Earlier today, experts noticed that Happy Feet was not moving around as much as a critter of his species usually does, so they transported him, in a box full of ice, from Peka Peka beach to the Wellington Zoo.
The New Zealand Herald reports that the zoo’s x-rays showed the penguin’s stomach to be full of sand, and said Happy Feet was also severely dehydrated.
Wellington Zoo vet science manager Lisa Argilla said this about the penguin’s situation:
“Normally these guys eat snow, and that rehydrates them. That’s why he’s been eating sand, because he doesn’t know any better”
…
Argilla said it would be “amazing” if the penguin survives the ordeal. “They can tolerate a fair amount of punishment, but it is a lot of sand that he’s got in his intestines at the moment,” she said.
The zoo currently has Happy Feet hooked into an intravenous drip.
How unusual is it for an emperor penguin to get as lost as this guy managed to get? He is the first one seen in New Zealand since 1967.
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Will someone please write me a country song called “Stranded in New Zealand with a Belly full of Sand”?
Tags: country music, cute feet, new zealand, news, penguin, sand, wildlife, yoddling, zoo
June 24, 2011 at 8:14 pm |
This post makes me sad. There are two things that make me cry in the world. Pepper spray and seeing an animal from the most beautiful species in the world 2,000 miles away from its home with a belly full of sand. Poor penguin ;-(
I’ll think about the song. Maybe this could be our collaboration!
June 24, 2011 at 9:17 pm |
That happened to me once. Really tough.
June 25, 2011 at 10:30 am |
This story makes me very sad.
Please post a follow-up story in a few weeks about how the penguin is doing. I’m very concerned.
June 25, 2011 at 4:40 pm |
I’d eat enough sand to kill myself if I were stuck in New Zealand too.
June 26, 2011 at 10:40 pm |
Here’s what I have so far, it’s a work in progress..
well uma gunu go get me uh bottle of somethen to clear out mu intestines.
Just cant figure out why umu bean haunted bu mu exes i deserted in texus.
well itsa long jurney through alabam and the reo grande,
and its beena lot images made from bricks made from a butt load of reeall sand.
Oh my A key breaky heart seems to be clogged too of images that i just stand.
They must be of the few other exes when i broke a bottle and deserted somewhere in the reo grade.
I’m gunu get me a dog and he’ll a real killer.
I’ll teach him to fetch and name him caleb miller.
We’ll live in a castle made from bricks and this much is true.
These bricks will be made from ice cream and i’ll teach Caleb to love New Zealand too.
June 28, 2011 at 5:24 pm |
That is impressive! I’m hoping Caleb will chime in on it, but, for now, I’ll just have to assume that it’s his favorite song.
June 28, 2011 at 8:33 pm |
I set off from the Weddell Sea
Happy and excited as a penguin could be.
I’ve always been adventurous and like to roam
Never dreaming that I’d end up so far from home.
The weather started getting rough and my tiny butt was tossed
Despite my courage and fearlessness I still ended up lost.
How I became lost they try to guess
They, who can’t go anywhere without a GPS!
They’re calling me Happy Feet which ain’t so grand
Stuck as I am in New Zealand with a belly full of sand.
And now some guy after sniffing paintball fumes
Fancies himself a writer of country tunes.
I’m so confused, scared and alone
What I wouldn’t give to be back home.
So instead of poking fun at me
Either help me out or let me be!
June 29, 2011 at 10:03 pm |
Looks like he’s doing okay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28RJFT-VvCU
June 30, 2011 at 10:02 am |
Poor little guy! I can totally relate. Anytime I eat my Mother in-Laws cooking I feel like I have a gut full of sand too!
June 30, 2011 at 5:26 pm |
Like I said, it’s a work in progress so please pardon the typos:
Her name is Jullie and she dances in Rio Grande. Unlike the 2 ton penguin “me” who did a face plant in the sand.
When they found me my feet were high and that’s why they call them Happy. All uh know was uh was in shock when uh A woken from my nappy.
The walls in my secluded containment were painted all sandy as well as a lot of other things. They took me and spinned me round and round while holding onto mu itt A bitt A wangs.
Some gals in texus like guys like me, the one who don’t are in Rio Grande. It’s not easy being stranded in New Zea Land with a belly full of sand.
I think um getten better now but this could have been a real killer.
I’ll feel much better when uh get mu dog and name him Caleb Miller…
July 1, 2011 at 1:15 am |
I think Mr. Rio Grande
is a fan of Duran Duran
and that’s a mighty fine band.
His name is Andy, and he doesn’t dance at all
If you saw his video, you would’ve seen him fall
But when he tries he really gives it all he can
Oh Andy, Andy you need lots of practice man!
June 30, 2011 at 7:58 pm |
Andy, my vote’s for you. Your song is full of raw emotion and feelings. Julie’s is just a little too Hallmark-ish.
When I listen to country music, I wanna have my guts torn out. I don’t want it to make me happy and feel uplifted.
Actually, I don’t like country music. I think it’s EVIL! But I would listen to your song. I might even like Julie’s if it was put to the right tune.
“mu itt A bitt A wangs” awe, that’s just cute!
July 1, 2011 at 6:35 am |
So where is Caleb Miller? Hope he doesn’t mind me using his name in my song. I’ve been watching to see his brilliant come back. He’s in fact one of the most brilliant and hilarious people I know. Yet where is he? Okay I’m scared. Maybe I’ll reword the last part of my song. How about something like this:
I think I’m getten better now but this really is no juke.
I’ll be better when I have ice cream house in a town called Cuenco Luke
July 1, 2011 at 8:25 am |
Miiller’s online activity is sporadic, but I’m sure he’ll be grateful to have been mentioned in the song once he sees it. Fear not.
July 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm |
Well in that case he’ll appreciate my edited version of my Land Run video as shown on my latest post on http://www.macvswild.org
July 7, 2011 at 6:10 pm |
Well……obviously I’m the most brilliant person you know because I’m the most brilliant person alive. Furthermore, the song makes sense because “Caleb” literally means “dog” in Hebrew. But of course, “dog” means unruly womanizer in Hebrew as well ( check Strong’s). And, don’t be scared, if I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already.
Keep it real,
Caleb Miiller
March 12, 2012 at 10:37 am |
Dachy…
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