Princess Penguin Penelope was found by a concerned beachgoer in
November, who was walking her dogs. The sub adult Little Penguin had scrambled
up onto the rocks at MM beach in Port Kembla and was looking a bit sad and
sorry. Lucky for her Candice ,the lady who found her, called Betty at Australian Seabird Rescue and we arranged
to go pick her up.
 |
| Princess Penguin Penelope recovering from her ordeal. |
When I got her home I noticed that she was covered in dry feather sheath
and was incredibly itchy. She was constantly preening at herself and hardly
noticed when I came in to change her bedding or pick her up for her fluid administration.
Betty kindly called Taronga Zoo to ask about known skin conditions but we were
told it would pass and she'd be back to normal once the old sheath had fallen
off.
After a few days on a regal diet of pilchards, seatabs and spark she
started to look wonderful. As Penelope was underweight I kept her for a few
days to fatten her up to give her the best chance of survival at sea. She
quickly stacked on the grams and we released her on a gorgeous sunny, wind-free
day. She was quite hesitant to leave her cage but once she felt that saltwater
on her feet she knew exactly what to do and swam out into the ocean. Old mother
hen (as Betty likes to call me) was very worried and kept watching until she
was out of sight, I'm sure she looked back to say thanks! Let's hope Penelope
stays out of trouble and lives a long, healthy life where she belongs.
Shari
No comments:
Post a Comment