Fiordland Penguin

A very unusual find by Mara Roberts while walking early on Tura Beach was this  injured Fiordland Penguin .He was carefully carried home  and is now in the care of Janine Green from Wires.

Fiordland Penguins are endangered with only about 6000 left. This one was apparently severely underweight at 2.1 kg (should be 4kg) and dehydrated.  He had a shark/seal bite near his tail which had compromised his waterproofing.  He is a juvenile and will grow a lot taller 40cm (he is around knee height now).  He is on antibiotics and is now eating heartily and is past the critical period although still not out of the woods.  He will have to be in care for 8 to 10 weeks and might have to be flown to Philip Island or even NZ for release.

Thank you for sharing this interesting sighting , and we will keep updates on his progress.