‘Miracle’ the Penguin Found in Japan Two Weeks After Escape

Miracle the Penguin Found in Japan Two Weeks After Escape

A fugitive penguin in Japan has been found safe two weeks after escaping into the sea and swimming for miles, which her keeper described as a "miracle." Pen-chan, a female Cape penguin raised in captivity and with no prior experience in open water or surviving on her own, fled from an event in Aichi on August 25.

Keeper Ryosuke Imai, feeling "desperate," said the team immediately started searching, but efforts were hindered by a massive typhoon that brought record rains to Japan. Due to Pen-chan’s inexperience with swimming and survival in the wild, they doubted she would last more than a week.

Surprisingly, on September 8, Imai was informed that the penguin had been spotted happily swimming at a beach 30 miles (45 km) away. "I expected her to look exhausted, but she was swimming as usual," Imai told AFP after her recapture. "It was beyond my expectations... It’s a miracle."

The six-year-old Pen-chan likely survived by eating fish and crabs. "I think she stopped at different spots to rest, but it’s still unbelievable," Imai said, adding that while she lost a bit of weight, she is in great condition.