A young escaped humboldt penguin from Vogelpark Avifauna was found on Saturday by recreationists after two days of “vacation” in Bodegraven. It was quite a job to catch the penguin again, a spokesman for the park reports to NU.nl.
Humboldt penguins can swim up to 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, and given the animal’s reputation for escaping, it didn’t seem like it would give in easily.
“The young penguin had escaped from his enclosure before, but then he just stayed in the park”, says spokesman Pamela Stolze of Vogelpark Avifauna. Now the penguin has managed to somehow get into the Oude Rijn.
The penguin was finally caught on Saturday evening in Bodegraven, about 14 kilometers from the bird park. “He has covered considerable distances. Many people called us in amazement that they saw a penguin swimming,” said the bird park. Eventually, a volunteer from the park assisted in bringing the penguin back.
On Friday, the penguin that had swum away was spotted in Nieuwveen and a little later in Zwammerdam, about 6 kilometers from the park. The animal park says it appears the animal has survived its “vacation” well. The animal is still undergoing medical examination.
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Recreationists eventually found the penguin in Bodegraven. A volunteer from the bird park helped bring back the seabird. (Photo: Avifauna)
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