A life spent cooped up with 134 others simply wouldn't do for one bird, so the year-old Humboldt penguin made a run for it.
The Tokyo Sea Life Park recently announced that one of its 135 penguins had bolted from the zoo in an amazing escape. Takashi Sugino, an official at the Sea Life Park, told AFP that the 24-inch bird appears to have climbed over a rock wall twice its size.
Sugino wasn't entirely sure of the prospects of catching the runner. "It's a bit of a struggle to catch it when it is swimming, because it swims at a tremendous speed," Sugino said. "We are hoping to catch it when it climbs up on land to sleep."
The park received a photo from the director of a neighboring zoo showing the little escapee bathing in the mouth of the Old Edogawa River on Saturday, The Japan Times reports. A visitor made several photos of the penguin on Sunday.
According to Time, the zoo was rather troubled by the incident and has called on the public to help track down the bird. “We apologize for causing trouble to local residents. Although the penguin will unlikely harm human beings, please contact our aquarium if you spot it, without trying to capture or chase it,” a notice posted at the zoo read.
Humboldt penguins traditionally live in South America on the rocky areas around the shores of the Pacific Coast. Humboldt penguins are considered very vulnerable, as their numbers in their natural habitat continue to drop.
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Posted: 03/06/12 09:19 AM ET | Updated: 03/06/12 09:46 AM ET