King penguin makes incredible 4000km journey from sub-Antarctic to Quagi Beach in Esperance

A king penguin has been discovered on a beach near Esperance, 4,000 kilometers from its home beneath Antarctica.

The penguin may have been swimming in complex ocean currents for up to two months before it was spotted by campers on the shores of Quagi Beach in early March.

The campers realized the bird was a king penguin far from home and contacted wildlife rescuer Lori-Ann Shibish at Esperance Wildlife Hospital.

Ms Shibish said she assumed the penguin might be a little penguin, a breed more common in the area.

“Little penguins breed here on islands in the archipelago, and that’s what we often encounter when people say there’s a penguin on the beach,” he said.

The campers sent a photo to Miss Shibish, who was shocked to see that it was actually a king penguin.

“King penguins live on islands beneath Antarctica and swim hundreds or even thousands of kilometers to find food and then return to the islands,” Ms Shibish said.

“For some reason this penguin was just swimming and swimming and then he was very far away from the islands.”

The non-native bird has triggered a particularly strong biosecurity response after the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu was first confirmed on Australia’s sub-Antarctic Heard Island late last year.

Ms Shibish said Heard Island and Macquarie Island were the main habitats of king penguins and both had been infected with bird flu.

“These may be the closest land locations to the south coast where this bird could come from,” he said.

The last time a king penguin was seen on mainland Australia was in Esperance in 2021, making it a rare occurrence.

Using Murdoch University’s special bird flu capture kit, Ms Shibish safely secured the penguin and the bird was taken to the wildlife hospital’s quarantine pen.

Laboratory analysis of swabs and blood samples confirmed that the penguin was free of both H5N1 and Newcastle disease, and the wildlife hospital was able to shift its focus to rehabilitating the bird.

The penguin had come ashore to undergo a disastrous month-long molt; This term is used when a seabird sheds all its feathers and grows new feathers.

Ms Shibish said the penguin had just begun molting when it was found on the beach and was particularly vulnerable to predators.

“If he had been left on the beach, he would have been killed by wild animals within a day or two because he couldn’t get back into the water,” he said.

He said birds are usually at their heaviest when they start molting because they can’t get into the water to feed, but this penguin was skinny.

“This bird should be 16 years old but weighs only 10kg, so it is already endangered,” he said.

“Standing there for a month without feeding and losing any further weight would have been a real risk to her health.”

The penguin is currently in care at the wildlife hospital, eating 1kg of fish a day.

“He needs to gain six kilos and complete his moult before we can put him back in the sea,” Ms Shibish said.

“Once she has completed shedding and has waterproofed her feathers, she will be at the optimum weight so that she will have the energy to swim back home.”

The penguin was affectionately named Hope, inspired by a positive expectation or expectation rather than a wish.

“This penguin came here at this time to distract everyone and remind everyone that hope is out there,” he said.

“In today’s world of unrest, everyone needs a little hope in their lives, and that’s what he gave us.”

Once Hope is full, feathered, and ready to go, the hospital will drop her off at Quagi Beach as close to where she was found in hopes of finding her way home.

Ms Shibish said the story was a good reminder to the public to stay away from wild animals anywhere outside and to report sightings immediately.