Two-hour rescue operation leads to the capture of rogue penguin swimming up Avon River

A white-flippered penguin. Photo / Getty Images

A disoriented and starving 3-month-old white-flippered penguin has been rescued from the Avon River after a two-hour recovery operation.

Firefighters were called in to help members of the public who were trying to rescue the penguin, which had swum around 10km inland.

However, a spokesman said after 20 minutes of being at the scene near Avonside Girls High School they stood down as they couldn't help.

Eventually, the penguin was rescued by Thomas Stracke from Christchurch Penguin Rehabilitation, with the help of a kayaker.

"It took me nearly two hours with the help of a nice young man in a kayak who managed to get it towards the edge and I caught it with a net," he said.

Stracke believed the penguin was lost and wouldn't have survived so far up the river for a long time with dogs running around the area.

After recovering the penguin, he also discovered it weighed only 449g - half of what it should at 3 months.

In the past three years, the rehabilitation centre has rescued only three other penguins from the Avon River.

"It's starving and was definitely lost, so it was swimming up the river probably in search of food," Stracke said.

Now back at the rehabilitation centre, the penguin will be feed electrolyte solution before moving on to fish smoothies and finally going on to solids.