Caption: An emperor penguin a long way from home on Peka Peka Beach, Kapiti Coast. (ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post)They're trying to work on a plan to care for the penguin. Apparently it's been putting sand in its mouth, in the mistaken belief that the sand will melt, like snow, and help with thirst. It can continue to drink seawater, for now, but eventually its distance from home will be a problem:
The emperor penguin from Antarctica resting up on a Kapiti Coast beach now has its own bodyguard.
The juvenile emperor penguin, which stands about a metre tall and weighs about 10 kilograms, was first spotted on Peka Peka Beach on Monday afternoon, standing up and flapping its flippers.
It is only the second recorded incident of an emperor penguin on New Zealand shores.
Nicknamed Happy Feet by Peka Peka resident Chris Wilton, the bird has attracted global interest and bird enthusiasts are flocking to see it.
A group of residents kept guard on the beach on Wednesday night and told the Conservation Department that drunken youths were "making a bloody nuisance of themselves".
To prevent cars driving too close to the rare visitor and an onslaught of flashing cameras, Kapiti Coast District Council has assigned a security guard to safeguard Happy Feet.
...Returning the bird to Antarctica was not feasible because there was no transport there in winter and experts advised that large birds could suffer trauma if transported long distances.
While Happy Feet seemed content to lie on the beach, go for an occasional swim and seemed to be feeding and drinking sea water, DOC biodiversity programme manager Peter Simpson said staff were investigating long-term intervention plans if needed, but there was not a lot they could do.
"There are no facilities in New Zealand that can care for it long term.
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