Surfers in Denmark, Australia, found a surprise. An emperor penguin emerged from the waves. He was far from his Antarctic home. 

Aussies spotted the bird on November 1 on a popular beach. It is located more than 2,000 miles north of the Antarctic coast.

Aaron Fowler was surfing with friends. The penguin waddled over to the group. “I think he might have thought we were penguins because of our wet suits,” Mr. Fowler told the Albany Advertiser. 

As the penguin came out of the water, he tried to slide on his stomach. But he wasn’t prepared for sand instead of ice. “He just did a kind of faceplant in the sand and shook all the sand off and looked a bit shocked,” says Mr. Fowler.

Some types of penguins live on the southern coasts of Australia and New Zealand. But not emperors. The largest penguin species has never been reported in Australia before. Some had reached New Zealand. But that country is farther south than the town of Denmark. 

People nicknamed the penguin “Gus.” That’s after another emperor from long ago—Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus.

The penguin was much too thin. He weighed just 51 pounds. Healthy males can weigh more than 100 pounds. So seabird rehabilitator Carol Biddulph is caring for him. 

Right now, it’s spring in Australia. God made emperor penguins to be comfortable in cold weather. They survive temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Ms. Biddulph sprays Gus with a chilled water mist to help him cope with the warmer climate. Wildlife officials haven’t yet decided whether he will go home to Antarctica. 

How and why did Gus travel so far? Biologists think that he was looking for food. Ocean currents may have helped carry him to southern Australia.

Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. — Proverbs 27:8