A fugitive penguin in Japan has been found safe and sound two weeks after escaping into the sea and paddling for miles in what her keeper called a miracle.
Pen-chan, a female Cape penguin born and raised in captivity, who had never swum in the open sea before or fended for herself, absconded from an event in the central Aichi region on 25 August.
Her keeper, Ryosuke Imai, said a team began scouring the area immediately but a powerful typhoon that brought record rains across Japan hampered the search.
Given Pen-chan’s lack of preparation for life in the wild, the team thought she would not get very far or survive for longer than a week.
But on 8 September, Imai received information that the bird had been spotted happily bobbing in the water at a beach 30 miles (45km) away.
“I thought she would look exhausted, but she was swimming as usual,” Imai said after the animal was recaptured. “It was beyond my surprise … It’s a miracle.”
He said Pen-chan, who is six years old, must have been eating fish and crabs that she caught herself.
“I think she got there by stopping at various places for a break, but it’s still unbelievable,” he said. “She lost a little weight but she is doing great.”