Emperor penguin found in Australia, thousands of miles from home

article

FILE - An emperor penguin is seen on Horseshoe Island in Antarctica on February 18, 2023. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) 

For the first time, an emperor penguin was found in Australia, having made the 2,200 mile swim from its home in Antarctica. 

The lone penguin was spotted at a popular beach in the town of Denmark earlier this month.

University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell told The Associated Press the penguin species has never been reported in Australia before, though some had reached New Zealand, Australia's neighbor that lies almost entirely south of the Australian beach where it was found. 

Aaron Fowler, who reportedly spotted the animal on Nov. 1, told The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) his group saw the bird coming out of the water and that it waddled straight up to them. 

"He was not shy at all," Fowler said. "He tried to do like a slide on his belly, thinking it was snow I guess, and just face planted in the sand and stood up and shook all the sand off."

RELATED: Escaped monkeys update: More than half safely recovered, several still on the loose

Wildlife experts came on site to retrieve the penguin and found him to be malnourished at 51 lbs. A healthy male can weigh more than 100 lbs.  

Experts have been spraying him with chilled water mist to help him cope with the foreign climate, Cannell said. 

The Western Australia state’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said its efforts were focused on rehabilitating the penguin. Asked if the penguin could potentially be returned to Antarctica, the department replied that "options are still being worked through."

Cannell told ABC that it was possible the penguin was following a current, but it wasn’t immediately clear how it ended in Australia.