A little penguin was spotted on the runway of New Zealand's Wellington National Airport around 2pm on January 12. This incident caused flight delays before it was eventually rescued, according to a report in the New York Post.
The little blue penguin, known locally as Korora, was spotted by an Air Chathams pilot. This prompted airport staff to immediately run and grab the bird.
Wellington Airport's official account took to Instagram and said: “Found on the runway: a very unusual little visitor! A pilot was about to take off on January 12 when they spotted this little korora (blue penguin).”
“The pilot and passengers waited patiently as Wellington Airport staff rushed out to collect and assist the visitor. Our runway sensors were reading 50 degrees at the time, so it's no wonder they weren't particularly happy!” they added.
The airport added that the penguin was taken to Wellington Zoo to recover and fencing has also been carried out to keep the bird away in the future. “We took our little friend to The Nest at Wellington Zoo to recover, and we did some penguin proofing on our fences to keep our freaky friends out of trouble in the future,” they concluded the post, posting a series of photos . One shows the penguin running across the concrete.
According to New Zealand outlet Stuff, Wellington Airport Wildlife Officer Jack Howarth said the animal was in a “not very impressed” mood and it was not certain how long it had been exposed to the sun without shelter.
The penguin was just six weeks old when it was discovered, a Wellington Zoo representative said. “Although thin, hungry and slightly underweight, the boy was otherwise in good health,” they said.
Since then, the bird has had blood tests done, x-rays taken and it has been fed a diet rich in fish to help it gain weight. According to the spokesperson, the adult feathers have already grown in and the team plans to release the korora back into the wild in a few weeks once the feathers are waterproof.