This is the moment three excited penguins race into the sea after being rescued in poor health on the Argentine coast.
According to The Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA), the Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) were found “some time ago, dehydrated and with low body weight” in the beach town of Quequen in the eastern Argentine province of Buenos Aires.
Video Credit: CEN/@PrefecturaNaval
Magellanic penguins breed in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands.
The PNA rescued the poorly penguins and rehabilitated them at the Centre for the Recovery of Birds, Mammals and Marine Reptiles also located in Quequen.
The centre has specialised vets and experts who can cater for marine species and injured animals.
After their rehabilitation, the penguins were taken to a spot just north of the port by naval officers who returned them to their natural habitat.
The footage shows the three flightless birds excitedly racing into the sea after being freed from a cage on a beach in Quequen.
The PNA said on social media: “They were returned to the sea with optimal body weight and normal characteristics, attitude, attentiveness to the environment and healthy plumage.”
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Magellanic penguins are threatened by commercial fisheries, offshore drilling and the transportation of oil in the Southwest Atlantic.
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Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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