Penguin mysteriously ends up at a beach in Australia—2000 miles away from home

Out of all the birds one could spot on a sunny day on a beach, an emperor penguin that used to live in Antarctica's freezing climate would probably never make the list. However, several people were lucky to witness this unusual sight on an Australian beach when a penguin, now nicknamed Gus, traveled 2000 miles away from his usual icy home, per WQAD News 8. The emperor penguin, the largest of its kind, has never been spotted somewhere so far from its home.

A surfer spotted the penguin, Aaron Fowler, and his family on a beach in early November. "This big bird in the water was like coming out of the waves. And my mate was like, oh, that's a penguin," Fowler told the outlet. He was about to leave the beach along with his friends and family when they saw the bird. It might have been the first sighting of an emperor penguin on the shores of Western Australia. "He just waddled over to us and came right up to us," the surfer said, describing his marvelous experience. "I think he might have thought that we were penguins or something because we had wetsuits on." In the clip, the penguin dawdled about the beach, seemingly exploring his new surroundings.

Experts feel that the penguin is less than a year old, as per the outlet. The distance can be equated to the one between New York City and Las Vegas. But even after the long and possibly exhausting journey, the penguin seemed to be in a good mood, as per Fowler. "He tried to do like a AAA lunge forward onto his belly and he just kind of went through into the sand," he shared about the penguin's confusion at being in a place with sand instead of snow. The penguin is now being cared for by a local wildlife carer. The penguin was malnourished when he was found on the beach but is now doing okay. "It's the coolest wildlife experience," Fowler expressed. Some experts believe that the penguin might have followed a current in search of food.

"Never in my wildest thoughts would I have thought I’d ever have an emperor penguin to care for. It’s just amazing. It’s such a privilege to be part of this bird’s journey," Carol Biddulph, a registered wildlife rescuer, who brought Gus back to her facility for care, shared with USA Today. Jazz Bailey and her kids got to see the penguin at Ocean Beach in Denmark, Australia, as per Beach Reports Perth. They were called by a friend who spotted the bird and called Bailey for a rescue organization's number. The woman provided the friend with the same and got to see the penguin, too. "We didn't get too close, it actually came to us for a closer look for about ten minutes before heading his own way," Bailey recounted.

The people on the beach decided to keep the news to themselves so people wouldn't crowd the area and overwhelm the bird who was lost. "It was breathtaking and surreal. I can't even imagine the journey it must have been on," the woman revealed. The penguin would be in rehab for a few weeks before it would be released into the wild again and get to find its way back home. There is still no concrete answer to how and why the penguin ended up on a beach in Australia miles away from home.