A Nameless Penguin

"This has been an interesting week aboard Tangaroa, mainly because of the loss of contact with our dear buddy Happy Feet. However, everyone aboard is positive that he is ok and that the transmitter fell off. It's not easy applying transmitters to animals in a way that it causes the least disruption to the animal's natural behaviour. I think Happy Feet, who was definitely Mr Stroppy Feet towards the end of his journey, was determined to get the offending object off and I believe he succeeded! I saw him paying a lot of attention to preening the area where the transmitter was attached. He has a mind of his own about things that bird ;-). I believe he is alive and well and am hopeful that one day in the future his microchip will alert us all to the fact that he has returned to Antarctica to find a mate."

16 September
Dr. Lisa Argilla, Welllngton Zoo Vet

Happy Feet finally loses his name and is truly free. My last wish come true :)
I'm tweeting from a boat with a little sheet wrapped around me (just like at feeding time). Thank you all for your love. It means so much to me now. The nameless penguin will now leave the boat in search of the shiny, elusive fish. :)
<(")

Penguin Constellation

A Penguin Free!

Taking a little tweeting break on a boat. They appear to be too busy mating to notice me. :)

What a week I've had! After all that worrying and preparing, in the end (no pun) I entered the water bum first! Too funny. I was way too serious back then. Too bad that Lisa didn't bring her sheet on the boat and 'encouraged' me out of the cabin with it as a last, symbolic gesture :) After the traumatic plunge into the water and the unseemly bout of delirium passed, I thought about drawing w/ my bum, but shiny fish kept distracting me. I floated in the water for a very long time and just let the ocean carry me, letting my mind go numb. It was very cathartic, and almost spiritual.

I took my life way too seriously before, and I missed out on some wonderful stuff, like a friendship w/ the baby owl (formerly 'evil baby owl at the zoo'). My jealousy of the newly born chick made me blind to how wonderful she actually was. And the baboon with the evil eye that like to sit on other animal's faces for fun, when you were feeling down, he was always good to make you laugh.

The tracking-thing doesn't feel too bad while swimming. Glad they removed the guy who glued his finger to my bum. He'd be way too challenging to swim with :)

Met a mermaid all tangled up on sea rubbish. I pecked at it furiously for a while to free her and she STILL gave me bad directions afterwards. Mermaids are known for giving bad directions for spite. Took secret delight in the fact that she now has a bald patch on her head as a result of my furious pecking effort :) Never trust a mermaid!

Being a juvie means no mating/ice obligations. I'm going to have fun and explore while I can. Don't get constipated watching me swim north :) Going back into the water now. I think the boat people are done mating. Thank you all for your lovely and encouraging tweets/posts. Now get yer bum off the tracker map and find yourself a little pool of water to frolic in. Life is short (and very confusing!).  It's not the path that I have taken on a map that's important. I wish I could share with you all that has happened between the two points on the map. Maybe next time, I'll have a drawing to post on my blog, if I don't get too distracted by shiny fish. Till then... Pengy hugs :)

Hope Room

One of the loveliest of all images. Hope Room. To some, the image represents the blissful, frosty day and that I'm outside playing by the saltwater pool. To others, the room is empty because I have finally gone back home to be reunited with the other penguins. Whenever you miss me or become sad or discouraged, look at it and smile. Somewhere there is a penguin frolicking on ice, in the pool, or in the great sea.    

A Lost Penguin's One Regret

I am the luckiest bird to have been given such a precious opportunity. Almost two months ago, they found me full of sand on the beach and said that I wouldn't survive. Tomorrow, I'll be on my way home, thanks to everyone. My one regret on this remarkable journey is that I have been hoarding all this money, effort, and attention for myself. Just this past month at the zoo, countless prion birds were unable to be saved despite the valiant efforts of the staff. Being tireless champions for my welfare, people became irate that I was late in getting ice service, or not being sprayed, or that one rumpled feather was sticking out too much and if the staff would please stop what they were doing and come pat it down. When I learned of the birds' fate, I felt so ashamed. That is my one regret, that I have taken so much. I am not deserving of my good fortune. It would make me feel better knowing that after I leave, the same people who have heaped adoration upon me transfer some of that to other creatures that do not receive the same attention. Then I would feel less selfish, and feel that my journey means something. Please be kind to all creatures, be they 4-legged, 2-legged, or no-legged. Take the wee children to the zoo and tell them all the wonderful things about the animals, so that they, too, can spread the love and respect for all creatures to others. And lastly, be kind to the environment. I wish there were always fresh ice for everyone's poopy rooms. 

I'm forever grateful to everyone for their love and tireless efforts to get me back home. I'll miss everyone.

Yours Truly,
The Lost Penguin
 

Parting With My Pet Rock

Happy Feet Poem

a poem by Hooliguinn, finalist of the Happy Feet Poem Competition