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Lost Penguin Washed Up in Western Australia Gets Some R&R at Perth Zoo

An endangered northern rockhopper penguin that washed up on the southwest coast of Western Australia after a “record-breaking” swim got some well-deserved rest at Perth Zoo, officials at the zoo said in a press release on August 4.

The endangered penguin was found with feather-molting problems on a beach in the southwest of the state and is thought to have braved a “record-breaking swim” from islands in the Indian or the south Atlantic ocean.

The penguin, named Pierre, had been with a wildlife carer before being transferred to the Perth Zoo.

Rockhopper penguins are one of the rarest penguins in the world. The global population is thought to be less than 240,300 breeding pairs, according to birdlife.org.

Pierre will be released to the wild as soon as he is fully waterproof and nursed back to health. Credit: Perth Zoo via Storyful