Emperor Penguin Gus Returns to the Sea in Australia
The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia was released into the ocean 20 days after waddling ashore at a popular tourist beach, authorities announced on 22.11.2024.
The adult male was found on 1 November on the sand dunes of Ocean 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 the government of the state of Western Australia.
He was released on Wednesday from a Parks and Wildlife Service vessel.
Wildlife carer nurses Gus back to health
The vessel travelled several hours from Albany, the southernmost town in the state, before the penguin was released into the Southern Ocean.
The penguin was cared for by registered wildlife carer Carol Biddulph, who named him Gus after the first Roman emperor Augustus.
“I really didn’t know if he was going to make it at all, because he was so malnourished,” said Biddulph in a video recorded before the bird’s release and published by the government on Friday. “I’m going to miss Gus. It’s been a couple of incredible weeks that I wouldn’t want to have missed,” she added.
Biddulph said that from her experience caring for other species of solitary penguins, mirrors were an important part of their rehabilitation, as they gave the animals a sense of security.
“He absolutely loves his big mirror, and I think that was crucial for his wellbeing. They are sociable birds, and he spends most of his time next to the mirror,” she said.
Largest penguin species seen in Australia for the first time
Gus gained weight in her care, from 21.3 kilograms when he was found to 24.7 kilograms. He is 1 metre tall. A healthy male emperor penguin can weigh more than 45 kilograms.
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 in the south.
The government stated that, given the approaching summer in the Southern Hemisphere, it had been of critical importance to return Gus to the ocean, where he could thermoregulate.
Emperor penguins are known to travel up to 1’600 kilometres during foraging trips lasting up to one month, according to the government.
