Emperor penguin returns to wild after swimming to Australia in longest recorded journey

An emperor penguin that swam almost 3500 kilometres from Antarctica to Western Australia in the longest recorded journey for the species has been returned to the wild after spending time recovering and regaining weight.

The penguin, affectionately named “Gus” by registered wildlife carer Carol Biddulph and her husband Graham, put on 3.5 kilograms in their care.

Biddulph said she hadn’t named Gus for the first few days as she had been unsure if he was going to make it.

“Our main concern to begin with was that the bird was very malnourished. He was very thin, and so we had to go through a gentle process of refeeding him – not too fast, not too slow, just right,” she said.

“He showed all those positive signs. So I thought, ‘Oh, time for a name’. And then I was just thinking of emperors of the past and thought of Emperor Augustus for some crazy reason, and shortened version of Gus just seemed to suit him.”

The couple joined a DBCA officer and a veterinarian on Friday morning as they ventured out on a small boat to release Gus back into the wild, 16 days after he was taken into care.

Biddulph said she believed having their familiar faces and voices with him during a stressful boat journey would make it easier.

“Emperor penguins do recognise faces and I know that from other birds in rehabilitation. They do recognise you, they do get familiar with you,” she said.