Emperor penguin Happy Feet is finally on his way back home to Antarctica, two months after first washing up on a New Zealand beach. Before being released, he will be fitted with a GPS tracker to allow his fans to monitor his progress online. The GPS receiver could stay in place for up to four months.
The penguin has been put into a new purpose built crate onboard the NIWA research vessel Tangaroa, which sailed from Wellington Monday evening. After four days at sea, he will be released back into the Southern Ocean, east of the Auckland Islands at about 53 degrees south.
The penguin was being cared for at the Wellington Zoo, where he became a popular attraction after being discovered at Peka Peka Beach in June, sick and confused, and having ingested sand. More than 1,700 fans came to see him off from the zoo.
Gareth Morgan and wildlife tracking company Sirtrack donated the GPS tracker. Fans will be able to follow the penguin's progress on both the Sirtrack website and the Our Far South website.
The penguin was named after a popular animated movie of 2006 about emperor penguins.
