The young penguin
had been eating sand and small sticks of driftwood, which it tried to
regurgitate. First seen on a North Island beach Monday, the penguin appeared
more lethargic as the week progressed, and officials feared it would die if
they didn't intervene.
The rare venture north by an Antarctic species captured
public imagination, and experts initially said the bird appeared healthy and
well-fed and intervention was unnecessary. They became concerned enough to step
in Friday.
Three experts lifted the penguin from the beach into a tub of ice
and then onto the back of a truck. The bird was docile, so they didn't sedate
it for the 65 km journey from Peka Peka Beach to the Wellington Zoo, said one
of the helpers, Colin Miskelly, a curator at Te Papa, the Museum of New
Zealand.
