Penguin that took a very long journey returned to the wild after successful rehabilitation

The penguin after being released into the wild.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Inside Edition)

After spending the summer gaining weight and building up muscle, a Fiordland penguin was released back into the wild, where Melbourne Zoo officials hope it is able to find a mate.

Fiordland penguins are endemic to New Zealand, and officials said they don't know how this penguin was able to travel 1,500 miles from New Zealand to a river near Melbourne. By the time the penguin was rescued, it had lost a lot of weight and was tired, so veterinarians at the Melbourne Zoo immediately started giving it fluids and vitamins. The penguin gained more weight once it started eating its regular diet, and it was soon swimming around in a pool so it would have the muscles necessary to swim back to New Zealand.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.