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A rare white-flippered penguin chick was "detained" by police after waddling into central Christchurch yesterday.
A concerned citizen spotted the chick near the Avon River boatsheds.
"He saw it looking very lost and was a little worried that the ducks might try to get at it, so he brought it in to the station," Sergeant Graham Duncan told The Press.
Police then "allowed its release into the protective custody" of the Department of Conservation (DOC).
DOC ranger Anita Spencer said the penguin was a local sub-species of the blue penguin.
"They are endangered and have been recognised as nationally vulnerable, and we have been involved in efforts to conserve them," she said.
The penguin was in good shape and jumping around, she said.
Penguin chicks were known to turn up in rivers and at beaches this time of year but it was unusual for one to have made it so far up the Avon.
"It's most likely gone up river chasing fish and gone off-track at some point."
- NZPA
