KEY POINTS:
A hoax American website claiming to sell live penguins that have been farmed in New Zealand has fooled some people into trying to buy the cold water birds.
Penguin Warehouse Inc has offered to ship seven types of penguins around the world, claiming their aim is to "dispel the myth that penguins do not make good house guests", while also "ridding the house of pesky krill", the Press newspaper reported today.
An American woman bought a large portable swimming pool, which she installed in her living-room ready for a penguin she dubbed Magellan.
The woman said she started to get suspicious a couple of days later after the company had not replied to her order.
Hans Kriek, the campaign director of Christchurch-based Save Animals From Exploitation, downplayed fears that New Zealand's standing as a humane country is at risk.
"Most people wouldn't fall for it, so I don't think it will be harmful to us," he said.
- NZPA
