Manu the blue penguin delayed flights at Wellington airport, streaking in front of Air Chathams flight 521. Photo / Wellington Airport
Manu the blue penguin delayed flights at Wellington airport, streaking in front of Air Chathams flight 521. Photo / Wellington Airport
They’re renowned for being the world’s smallest penguin species, less known for their ability to fly, but that didn’t stop a blue penguin (kororā)from storming the runway at Wellington Airport earlier this month.
Services were briefly halted on Friday January 12 while the penguin was rounded up.
The small, 1kg intruder was spotted by Chathams flight 521, as it prepared to depart at around 1pm.
It was black, white and all over the runway according to the Air Chathams pilot, who called in the rogue penguin.
Passengers were happy to wait as airport staff collected the tiny penguin in a tea towel. The flight schedule was affected by about 20 minutes.
Airport Wildlife officer Jack Howarth said the tiny penguin is a very unusual sight in daylight and on land. He suggested that the animal may have been disturbed by the high surface temperatures.
Manu the blue penguin was rescued from Wellington Airport during a heatwave. Photo / Wellington Airport
“Our runway sensors were reading 50 degrees, so it is no wonder they were not particularly happy,” said Howarth.
The bird was transferred to Wellington Zoo’s animal hospital for treatment to exposure to high temperatures.
“We were unsure how long they’d been exposed to the sun without shelter, so I thought it best to take him to The Nest at Wellington Zoo as they’ve helped us with recovery of other wildlife in the past. They happily took him in to cool down and monitor for any further issues.”
Named ‘Manu’ by airport staff, the bird is the first staff have seen at the airport.
Wellington Airport staffers were able to stop the penguin from roaming over the runway. Photo / Wellington Airport
It was thought the animal may have accessed the runway via a hole in the fence, which Howarth said that would soon be patched up.
“Our sensors pick up lots of things, but not penguins – they are extremely rare, and in this case it was a pilot who spotted the intruder.”
The bird was reportedly now doing fine, eating normally and hanging out in one of the dens at the zoo.
A spokesperon for Wellington Zoo said the bird was a recent hatchling “around 6 weeks old when found, and only recently fledged”, thought to be from Lyall Bay.
“Though thin, hungry, and a little underweight, the fledgling was otherwise in good health.
The Zoo’s recovery programme The Nest Te Kōhanga has a small colony of blue penguins, or kororā. While some of the flock of rescue penguins are unable to be released because of their injuries, it is hoped that Manu will be back in the harbour in the next couple of weeks.
Blue penguin populations are considered ‘At Risk’ and ‘Declining’ by the Department of Conservation, with many relocating to offshore islands to avoid disturbance and predators.
