A lost emperor penguin that was discovered on a beach in New Zealand is recovering after an operation to remove debris from its stomach, according to local media reports on Monday.
The bird, known as Happy Feet, underwent surgery to remove rocks, sand, and twigs that it had eaten, according to the New Zealand Press Association. It was discovered in Peka Peka Beach, around 40 miles from Wellington.
"Today it will continue to be on the IV fluids … and basically we are hoping it will pass more of the sand naturally," Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Kate Baker told NZPA.
The penguin was first spotted on the beach last week, which is located around 2,500 miles from its home in Antarctica.
“When I saw it on the beach, it was gobbling down sand and sticks and just whatever was in reach," John Cockrem, an expert on penguins at Massey University, told The New Zealand Herald newspaper.
"It had only ever been on ice or on snow, so sticks were something it had never seen before. It maybe thought the sticks were little bits of fish sitting on the ice," he added.
A spokesperson with the zoo told the newspaper that the penguin still need around three months of recovery before it will be back to normal.
