By Emily Bissland for the ABC*
After washing ashore in Portland, Victoria, starved and thousands of kilometres from its New Zealand home, a Tawaki penguin has been nursed back to health and released into the ocean.
Tawaki is the Māori name for the Fiordland penguin and it is believed only about 7000 of them remain on Earth.
Weeks of patient, specialised care brought this rare and endangered bird back from the brink, nursed by volunteer wildlife carer Tracey Wilson.
Each year, Wilson cares for about 500 animals at her Koroit-based Mosswood Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.
With specialist knowledge of caring for animals, Wilson has been running the centre for 17 years.
It is built to cater to penguins, seabirds and koalas and, without ongoing government funding, it relies on volunteer power and donations.
Mostly, Wilson receives injured koalas, so when an exotic species like the Tawaki penguin arrives on her doorstep, she says her "world stops".
She pours her time into multiple daily feeds, pool rehabilitation and "cave building".
"They are awesome. I believe caring for any wildlife is a privilege, but being able to care for these guys is super special. They are my fun place!" Wilson says.
"There's just something about penguins, and these guys are inquisitive, they're interesting.
"Their expressions, everything about them, I find absolutely fascinating."
This winter, Wilson has cared for two Tawaki penguins, and several more have washed ashore on Australia's southern coastline in South Australia and Western Australia.
Melbourne Zoo's Marine Response Unit has observed a seasonal increase in Tawaki penguins, including seven reports from members of the public.
Since June, one Tawaki penguin was discovered deceased, four were found unwell and transported to veterinary care where they were humanely euthanised, and two were assessed by the response unit and returned to the wild.
Wilson believes had she not received her pair of starved Tawaki penguins, they may also have been euthanised.
She urges anyone who finds a distressed penguin on the beach to get the experts involved.
"A penguin on the beach, lying down is a penguin in trouble," she says.
"Please seek help from your closest wildlife carer or marine authority, and don't pick it up for a selfie."
Watching her care for the rare birds is impressive and touching.
These wild and independent creatures, who have washed up from the deep blue, clearly trust her.
A Tawaki or Fjordland Crested Penguin that has ended up in Victoria, Australia and nursed back to health by the Mosswood Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. Photo: Screenshot / ABC
A Tawaki or Fiordland Crested Penguin that has ended up in Victoria, Australia and nursed back to health by the Mosswood Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.
Can't waddle, can't walk
When the two Tawaki penguins were handed to Wilson, they were close to death.
"When they first come in, they are very dehydrated and we have to tube them fluids," she says.
The most recent arrival is still too weak to stand.
Instead, it lies on its belly in a cave constructed of towels and blankets, waiting for Wilson to come and feed it fish by hand.
First, she inserts a feed tube down its throat with surgical precision, administering antibiotics.
"This penguin came in so, so weak, he couldn't stand up. He still can't stand up," she says.
"He had obviously been floating in open water for a very long time because he even had a barnacle growing on his tail feathers."
She reaches for a polka-dot patterned mug filled with small pieces of fish.
Each portion of thawed pilchard is soaked in salt water to mimic the salinity of the ocean, and when the penguin spots the mug, it begins snapping its strong beak in the air, which makes the wildlife carer smile.
"This is great, because this means he is really hungry, and he's looking forward to food," Wilson says.
Impatient with her chat, its strong beak makes contact, snapping her hand - and despite the sting, Wilson is delighted.
"Ouch!" she says, laughing.
"Prior to this he wasn't showing any signs of life whatsoever, now he's saying, 'I want to eat, I want to live!'".
Tracey Wilson from the Mosswood Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Koroit in Victoria with a Tawaki penguin she is nursing back to health. Photo: Screenshot / ABC
Tracey Wilson with a Tawaki penguin she is nursing back to health.
Ready for the wild
The other Tawaki penguin, which arrived first, has been hand-fed fish for weeks, and subjected to mandatory pool rehabilitation sessions.
It's now strong and a healthy weight, and making signs that it wants to return to the ocean.
"He's been in rehab for ages, so he's pretty close to going. His behaviour is starting to show that he just wants to go," Wilson says.
So now the person who has fed and cared for this wild animal every day for weeks, must release her feathered friend into an ocean full of seals, sharks and changeable ocean currents.
Release days are bitter-sweet for Wilson - stressful, exhilarating and full of worry.
"You've got an animal that would have died if you hadn't intervened, to an animal that is fit for release, so that's a good feeling," she says.
"I lie awake thinking, 'I hope he's getting food, I hope he's not starving, I hope he hasn't been eaten by a shark'."
Release day
On the day of release, the sun is shining and there's not much wind, but the ocean is a little rougher than Wilson would have liked.
The Tawaki penguin is carried to Killarney beach in a portable ventilated cage and placed gently on the sandy shore.
It takes a few moments before a tentative, yellow-crested head pokes out of the open cage door.
The penguin seems distracted by several onlookers with cameras, unsure of the rolling waves that loom far above its head, and sticks close to Wilson.
This species of penguin would usually leap from rocks into water below, rather than wade into breaking waves.
She kneels down to the penguin's level, looks into its eyes and utters a few words.
Slowly, Wilson takes small steps towards the ocean and the Tawaki penguin follows her, but seems hesitant to go.
A larger wave rumbles beyond the tide and takes all of us by surprise, sweeping the penguin away.
But soon everyone is reminded of the Tawaki penguin's superpower as a remarkable, efficient swimmer.
Sucked into the ocean by the outgoing wave, the penguin looks back towards the shore momentarily, maybe getting its bearings, maybe saying goodbye, then dives underwater and makes its way out to sea.
Wilson stands on the shore for a long time after the penguin is out of sight, seeking one last glimpse in her binoculars.
"We've done the absolute best we can do," she says.
"It's a long way home to New Zealand."
* This story was first published by the ABC
