Australia's First Emperor Penguin: The Story of Gus

An emperor penguin found severely malnourished far from its Antarctic home on Australia's southern coast is being cared for by a wildlife expert.

3’500 Kilometres from Home

The adult male was found on 1 November on a popular tourist beach in the town of Denmark in the temperate southwest of Australia — approximately 3’500 kilometres north of the icy waters off the Antarctic coast, according to a statement from the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

The largest penguin species had never been seen in Australia, said Belinda Cannell, a research associate at the University of Western Australia, although some individuals had reached New Zealand, which lies almost entirely further south than Western Australia.

Cannell said she had no idea why the penguin had travelled to Denmark. In this photo provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, a male emperor penguin named Gus stands on a beach near Denmark, Australia, on 1 November 2024, thousands of kilometres from his normal habitat in Antarctica.

Rehabilitation in an Unfamiliar Climate

Cannell is advising seabird rehabilitator Carol Biddulph, who is caring for the penguin and spraying it with a cool water mist to help it cope with the unfamiliar climate. The penguin is 1 metre tall and initially weighed 23 kilograms.

A healthy male can weigh more than 45 kilograms. The ministry stated that its efforts were focused on the rehabilitation of the penguin. When asked whether the penguin might potentially be returned to Antarctica, the ministry replied that «the options are still being examined». The climate change is increasingly altering the habitats of Arctic and Antarctic species.