Antarctic Penguin Randomly Turns Up 2,000 Miles From Home

A penguin somehow journeyed nearly 2,000 miles from its natural habitat in Antarctica to end up on a beach in New Zealand. 

The Adelie penguin – dubbed Pingu by locals – was discovered by resident Harry Singh as he strolled along the Birdlings Flat beach on the eastern coastline of New Zealand’s South Island/Te Waipounamu earlier this week. 

“First I thought it (was) a soft toy, suddenly the penguin moved his head, so I realised it was real,” Harry told the BBC. “It did not move for one hour...and [looked] exhausted.”

The sighting is extremely rare: This is only the third time an Adelie penguin has been spotted in the region. The first sighting was in 1962, followed by a second in 1993. 

“This bird is a long way from home and was a little worse for wear when he was discovered on a Christchurch beach,” said New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

The lost penguin was treated by wildlife experts before being released into the wild at the nearby Bank’s Peninsula, far from predatory animals.