Wayward penguin perks up after surgery

[Matilda]

A young emperor penguin that washed up on a New Zealand beach last week after straying thousands of kilometres from home was perking up on Tuesday, a day after hundreds of people watched it undergo endoscopic surgery to remove sand from its stomach.

The bird, nicknamed Happy Feet by locals, became the focus of national attention after it turned up on a beach some 4,000 kilometres from its Antarctic home - only the second emperor penguin ever to appear in New Zealand.

(snip)

Penguins normally eat snow to stay hydrated but veterinarians believe Happy Feet, named after the main character in a popular film, became confused and ate sand instead.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/28/3255664.htm


Bird lovers Down Under have been following the penguin's progress this past week, and I thought this may interest
people further north as well.