Happy Feet's $30,000 'not wasted'

Happy Feet's $30,000 'not wasted'

NZ NewswireSeptember 13, 2011, 7:44 am

New Zealand's famed emperor penguin Happy Feet might be missing, presumed dead, but animal advocates are standing by the tens of thousands of dollars spent on his rescue.

The adolescent bird's tracking device stopped transmitting last Friday, after he had swum 115km south of his release point towards his Antarctic home.

Wildlife telemetry consultant Kevin Lay said it was possible the device, fastened with superglue, had slipped off, but this was uncommon.

Other possibilities won't want to be considered by the thousands of Happy Feet lovers who have tracked his every move since he washed up on Peka Peka beach north of Wellington in June.

More then $30,000 in donations have been spent on nursing the penguin back to health over two months, with specialised care, diets and extensive consultation on the best way to return him home.

Conservation Department Kapiti biodiversity program manager Peter Simpson, told the Dominion Post that the money was worthwhile, if only to raise public awareness about wildlife.

He remained positive that there was a chance the bird could be alive and may still end up at a penguin colony in Antarctica.

Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla, who is credited with saving Happy Feet's life, told the newspaper the penguin was an ambassador for his species, spreading an important conservation message.
"That makes every cent spent worthwhile," she said.