First emperor penguin known to reach Australia found on tourist beach

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An emperor penguin found malnourished far from its Antarctic home on the Australian south coast is being cared for by a wildlife expert, a government department said Monday.

The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on a popular tourist beach in the town of Denmark in temperate southwest Australia — about 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) north of the icy waters off the Antarctic coast, according to a statement from the Western Australia state’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

The largest penguin species has never been reported in Australia before, University of Western Australia research fellow Belinda Cannell said, though some had reached New Zealand, nearly all of which is further south than Western Australia.

Cannell said she had no idea why the penguin traveled to Denmark.

https://apnews.com/article/australia-denmark-emperor-penguin-fdf96eb433488f99cfd8eda9f5cafcda