Wayward penguin ‘Happy Feet’ feared eaten by killer whale

The penguin that charmed the world after washing ashore in New Zealand this year has repotedly been eaten two weeks after returning to the wild.

Nicknamed ‘Happy Feet’, the penguin that caught the world’s attention following a 3,000 mile wrong turn has had a tough time of it since washing ashore on New Zealand’s Peka Peka beach in late May.

Having nearly died after ingesting sand (believing it to be snow), the penguin was finally sent on his way back to Antarticatwo weeks ago, however it is now feared that he may have met his end.

For the past four days, a transmitter fitten to Happy Feet has fallen silent, as rumours of his demise from a killer whale have risen. Despite the inability to track the penguin’s condition, however, Dr Colin Miskelly told BBC Radio 4 today that he is optimistic of his chances.

"It could be that the device has fallen off and is at the bottom of the ocean but it could also have just stopped working,” he said.

"We don't know what's happened to him and that doesn't mean he's no longer alive - there's a loss of information but there's not necessarily a loss of an individual."

A spokesman for the transmitter brand, Sirtrack, has been less optimistic, stating: “That’s what makes the world go round.