Penguins in New Zealand rescued from oil spill

Forty-nine penguins rescued from an oil spill off New Zealand have been set free after being cleaned and nursed back to health by wildlife officials. The birds released on Tuesday are among the 343 little blue penguins that have been cleaned of oil since a cargo ship ran aground on a reef near Tauranga on 5 October and spilled some 400 tons of fuel oil. [caption id=“attachment_137396” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A little blue penguin is dried by a rescue worker after it swam in a water pool during a cleaning session to get rid of fuel oil from its body. AP”] [/caption] More than 2,000 sea birds died in the spill. The penguins were nursed back to health at a wildlife facility manned by specialists from New Zealand, Australia and the United States. They were fitted with microchips so they can be monitored after their release. Wildlife Response Manager Kerri Morgan says it’s important that wild penguins do not remain in captivity for too long because they can develop injuries and illnesses. AP