WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A young emperor penguin stranded in New Zealand has survived two medical procedures and now has an offer of a lift home.
Yet the aquatic bird that many are calling Happy Feet — after the lighthearted 2006 movie — is not out of danger yet. The penguin remained on an intravenous drip Saturday and faces another procedure Monday to remove more sand from its digestive system.
If it does pull through, a businessman wants to take it by boat to Antarctica next February.
If a trip back to the Antarctic doesn’t pan out, there’s always the offer of a more sheltered life. Lauren DuBois, assistant curator of birds at SeaWorld in San Diego, which has the only colony of emperor penguins in North America, said SeaWorld would be willing to step in and help.
Happy Feet arrived on Peka Peka Beach, about 40 miles northwest of Wellington, last Monday, the first time in 44 years that an emperor penguin has been spotted in the wild in New Zealand.
At first Happy Feet seemed fine, but as the week progressed, the bird became more lethargic. It ate a lot of sand, apparently mistaking it for snow.
