What's happened
Gus, an emperor penguin who traveled 3,000 km from Antarctica to Western Australia, has been released back into the Southern Ocean after a 20-day rehabilitation. Local wildlife carers ensured his health before his return, emphasizing the importance of his natural habitat as summer approaches.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, Gus was cared for by wildlife carers who noted his significant weight gain during his stay. Carol Biddulph, one of his caregivers, expressed her concerns about his initial health, stating, "I really didn’t know whether he was going to make it to begin with because he was so undernourished." The South China Morning Post emphasized the urgency of returning Gus to the ocean as summer approaches, highlighting the penguin's need to thermoregulate. This sentiment was echoed by AP News, which noted that emperor penguins can travel long distances for foraging, making Gus's rehabilitation and return vital for his survival.
How we got here
Gus was discovered on November 1 on Ocean Beach in Denmark, Australia, far from his Antarctic home. He was undernourished and required care from local wildlife experts, who monitored his recovery and weight gain before his release.
More on these topics
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Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, 418 kilometres southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King George Sound.
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The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 100 cm in length and weighing from 22 to 45 kg.
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Western Australia is a state occupying the western 32.9 percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, and the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north
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Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.
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Denmark is a coastal town located on Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 423 kilometres south-south-east of the state capital of Perth.
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Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.