DOC: 'Hands off' approach to emperor penguin

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:35a.m.

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It's healthy, well-fed and far from home… and it's quickly become the most popular attraction on a New Zealand beach.

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24 Jun 2011 11:48p.m.

Tabitha wrote:

I agree with Derek, this penguin is out of his depth being here...A huge swim & probably many close encounters on the way! Without having to put him in an enclosure somewhere unnatural, or in a lab...why can't DOC just take him out to deep sea & release him, that way nature will decide & he will either sink or swim. This option would be the least interference, for all. A chance for him to make his own way home.

22 Jun 2011 03:12p.m.

dale wrote:

Someone will steel it or kill it.

22 Jun 2011 03:05p.m.

susan Delany wrote:

I'm glad they are calling for a hands-off approach. Birds are particularly susceptible to fatal cases of shock, not to mention the harm that could come to it if everyone went to pat it (not everyone knows how to be gentle or to give it space). It is a wild animal, and the less human interaction it has, the better. leaving it be and only watching from a distance is the best thing anyone could do for it right now.

22 Jun 2011 01:20p.m.

Tony wrote:

Hmmmm...I think its that "impostor" penguin from the old Blue Bird add...

22 Jun 2011 12:53p.m.

MrMan wrote:

Hes going have an amazing story to tell his penguin friends when he returns home.

22 Jun 2011 12:28p.m.

Derek Watt wrote:

A hands-off approach is completely appropriate. Humans have completely changed the face of the world yet won't stoop to help a creature clearly out of its depth. This pengium is featured as the 3rd most popular artical on the BBC web site and is a feature in many news web-sites world wide. It is in New Zealands interests to give it the best chance of survival, not to leave it to die, even if it means capture and re-location - A minor cost compared to the bad publicity which will follow it's death.