Good news for those of you following the status of brave little penguin Happy Feet, who became ill after swimming thousands of miles from Antarctica to New Zealand.  Happy Feet has been released and is swimming back home.

We reported that he seemed to be getting better back in June – see Happy Feet Getting Better.  You’ll recall he got sick because he thought the beach sand in New Zealand was ice and he ate some of it to cool off after a long swim from Antarctica.   Clearly this was just a lack of tourist information that got him in trouble.

But he seemed fit as a fiddle on board the research vessel Tangaroa as it was plowing through 21 foot swells in the ocean to take him to a release point.  None of this seemed to bother Happy Feet, who took to sleeping standing up in his crate as the vessel battled the rough seas.

He seemed impatient with the crew to be released as they neared his home waters, giving them some squawks as they passed by.  He was accompanied on his trip by Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla.

We have just learned he was released into the ocean from a jury-rigged slide attached to the side of the boat.

We wish you all the best, Happy Feet.  And next time you take a trip, remember to read up on local tourist information first, particularly in the areas of beach sand and ice.