Happy Feet, the wayward emperor penguin who swam to New Zealand, is being taken back to his natural habitat in the Southern Ocean.
In June, the male bird struggled ashore at Peka Peka Beach on the Kapiti Coast, near Wellington, and became ill after eating sticks and sand in place of the snow it would normally consume.
[image:2906:full]The bird received treatment at Wellington Zoo and at 6pm on Monday was loaded on a National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) vessel in a specially designed crate accompanied by zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla.
The Tangaroa is making a scheduled trip to the Southern Ocean for a fisheries survey and will drop the bird at sea near the Campbell Islands where emperor penguins are known to live.
NIWA says Happy Feet will either be released down a hydro slide made from tarpaulin or launched from an inflatable boat at a safe distance from the ship.
The penguin's care at the zoo cost about $30,000 and has been paid for by donations from New Zealand and overseas.
The bird's appearance so far from its home gained international attention with coverage by media in America, Australia, Britain, China and Canada.
The last recorded sighting of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Oreti Beach in Southland in 1967.
