A penguin expert says it’s unlikely lost emperor penguin Happy Feet has been eaten by a predator.
Happy Feet’s tracking device stopped transmitting several days ago, but Massey University Associate Professor John Cockrem says it’s highly likely the bird is still alive.
“Of the natural predators, leopard seals would be far further south, around the Antarctic continent, at this time,” he says.
“I also think the chances of meeting an orca are pretty small.”
Dr Cockrem says the most likely scenario is that the transmitter has fallen off, and over time Happy Feet will “slowly make his way back to Antarctica”.
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