Perth Zoo Rescues Rockhopper Penguin Who Was Far From Home

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: August 7, 2020 12:30 pm

Pierre the penguin in the Perth Zoo wildlife hospital

Photo Credit: Perth Zoo

A rockhopper penguin is enjoying a well-deserved rest at Perth Zoo after a record-breaking swim while he receives treatment from vets.

The young penguin is believed to be around one year old. He was found on a beach in the south-west of Western Australia. Naturally rockhopper penguins come from islands in the Indian and south Atlantic oceans so this penguin was a long way from home.

Vets at Perth Zoo found that he had an arrested molt. This means he was not completing his annual feather molt correctly after having started it. This leaves the penguin without the waterproofing they need to survive in the ocean. This could be a result of not having the proper nutrition or environmental conditions to complete this process.

Until he is waterproof again he will remain in the care of the zoo as he would not survive in the wild. While he is in care he is being called Pierre.

Video Credit: Perth Zoo

Staff at the zoo provide Pierre with a range of activities including feeding time, a light water mist and he also presents for a daily weigh in to ensure he gains condition.

To keep him entertained he has a mirror in his exhibit and keepers note that Pierre quite enjoys checking himself out.

Rockhopper penguins are named as they hop around the rocky areas they call home. Above their eyes is a groucho marx style eyebrow.

It is believed that they are one of the rarest penguin species with as few as 230,000 breeding pairs remaining.

Learn more about Perth Zoo on their website – Perth Zoo