The crew of Lady Elizabeth IV and Wellington Zoo have teamed up to aid a native bird in need of a helping hand. Or flipper.
Wellington Maritime Unit carried Wellington Zoo and Wellington City Council staff out into Cook Strait to release a tawaki nana hī/erect-crested penguin back into the wild.
This is one of many memorable releases for the Unit and partners from Wellington Zoo and DOC, which have included other penguins and at least two albatrosses in recent years.
Last Thursday, the penguin and accompanying entourage headed to the Wellington waterfront to board the Lady Liz. With the little penguin securely on board, the launch crew took the group out about 6km into the Cook Strait to help give the penguin a headstart back towards its southern home waters.
The young penguin was found by a member of the public at Tongue Point on Wellington’s south coast in February and brought by Wellington City Council to Te Kōhanga/The Nest, Wellington Zoo’s veterinary hospital, for treatment.
Tawaki are one of the most endangered penguin species found in New Zealand and this little one needed some help from the veterinary team.
“The penguin was very thin, dehydrated and suffering from heat stress when they were brought to us,” says Shanna Rose, Team Leader at Te Kōhanga/The Nest.
“They required some initial intensive treatment to stabilise, then lots of fish to fatten up!”
In eight weeks of treatment, the penguin packed on over a kilogram and was ready to be released after many long swims in the zoo’s saltwater pool - they are likely to spend the next few months at sea.
Once out at sea, Constable Kit Harkness joined Shanna and Senior Veterinarian Kirsten Anderson in the inflatable rescue boat as it was lowered to give the penguin a shorter jump into the waves below.
“The penguin was ready to go and jumped right out when the vet opened the door,” says launch crew member Kit.
“It hung around and called out a few times, but when we turned to go back, dove beneath the waves and took off on their journey.”
Both teams were pleased with the release and spent a bit of time seabird spotting – a highlight was the Northern royal albatross floating not far from the vessel.