Happy Feet has been released into the sea!

Happy Feet was released into the

 sea, south of New Zealand at the

 51 degree mark on Sunday,

Sept. 4th, 2011, New Zealand time.

  Here in California it was

Saturday the 3rd.

As far as we know he is doing

 well.  We are still able to

keep tabs on him, for now, by

 a tracking device that was actually

glue onto him!  It will come off

when he molts later this year.

To track him, click HERE

The below photos are from the site

www.stuff.co.nz .   To see more

photos of his release click HERE .

 Should I or shouldn't I?

Well for better or worse,

ocean, here I come!

So many people worked night and

day to see that this one little penguin

 had another chance at life.  Thank you Wellington Zoo staff, especially

 Dr. Lisa Argilla,

 and the crew of the Tangaroa .

Good bye Sir Happy Feet---I will

miss you and pray for you a long

life!  You have taught me much

and I am forever grateful. 

Thank you God for this gift.

For the complete story and video

click HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Study nature, love nature,

stay close to nature.  It

will never fail you.

--- Frank Lloyd Wright

Happy Feet is on his way home!

Happy Feet the penguin is now

aboard the NIWA’s research vessel,

 Tangaroa, as of the evening of

 August 29th, New Zealand time.

He will stay approximately 4 days

 at sea and will then be let free in

 an area known for where other 

juvenile emperor penguins are.

(or so we hope!)

We miss you Happy Feet...

Photos courtesy of

Scoop Independent News

 Being carried onto the ship

 His new home for the next 4 days.

All comfy cozy on his belly

with new snow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From another HF fan,

Kathleen Johnson shared

one of her favorite quotes

and now one of mine.

From the book,

"The Outermost House"

by Henry Beston.

"We need another and a wiser and

perhaps a more mystical concept of

animals.  Remote from universal

nature and living by complicated

 artifice, man in civilization surveys

the creature through the glass of

 his knowledge and sees thereby a

 feather magnified and the whole

 image in distortion. We patronize

them for their incompleteness, for

 their tragic fate for having taken

 form so far below ourselves. And

therein do we err. For the animal

 shall not be measured by man."

"In a world older and more complete

 than ours, they move finished and

complete, gifted with the extension

 of the senses we have lost or never

 attained, living by voices we shall

never hear. They are not brethren,

they are not underlings: they are

other nations, caught with ourselves

 in the net of life and time, fellow

 prisoners of the splendour and travail

 of the earth."  

HAPPY FEET is starting his journey home.

Happy Feet the penguin will be leaving

 in less than 2 days aboard a research

 vessel heading towards the south pole. 

Myself and other HF fans are glad he

will have the chance to be free, but we

have worried and fretted about all the

unknowns.  He is such a sweet little

 creature, so curious and kind.   When

 the zoo gives him new snow, most of

 the time he just stands there, unafraid.

If they need to put some in the

place he stands, he takes a few steps 

 over to make way for his new snow.

These photos were taken by a HF fan

 in New Zealand, Saphira Brilliant Nrew

who braved the chilly snow to see HF

outside his hospital room in Wellington,

New Zealand.   You can see more

Happy Feet photos HERE

 His beautful eye.

Mr. Shy

 Finally in the pool.

 Coming out of the water....

love his cute little legs!

Sir Happy Feet

(the Sir was given by another

 Happy Feet fan - Denise Toth)

HAPPY FEET THE TEACHER

by Lori Bei Durst

There was a little penguin

who came upon the beach.

He thought he'd take a break

but it wasn't within his reach.

It was warm for him you see

because he comes from the cold.

He started eating sticks and sand

thinking they were snow.

Some kind people came along

and seeing his distress

scooped him onto a large ice cube

so he could get some rest.

Off they went to hospital

fixing him best they could---

next was just to watch and wait

hoping healing that he would.

Weeks have turned into months

and then everything was set.

Happy Feet would be returned

to his home of cold and wet.

Thousands of people have watched him,

grow stronger everyday

Most have grown too, you see,

but still hoped that he could stay.

But Happy Feet possesses

many wonderful traits.

Patience, trust and focus too 

which he has passed along to us mates.

So although we are sad to see him go,

and have debated back and forth---

it turned out that our curious
Happy Feet

was the perfect teacher for our growth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A single sunbeam is

enough to drive away

many shadows.

--- St. Francis of Assisi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our little Happy Feet

is that sunbeam.

More Happy Feet the Penguin

"Here I am!"

Isn't he just the sweetest?

I am still watching Happy Feet , but

 trying not to as much as I had. 

  Good grief, I was/am spending hours

and hours each day causing my

rump to go stale and my bedtime

to be after 2 am each night.

(well that is still the same)

  I am trying to watch only his feeding

 and getting snow times (the best)

but still many peeks throughout the
 days.  He leaves August 29th
New Zealand time and

the 28th for the USA.

I find myself caught up in too many

 additional emotions with his release

 (like I need anymore of those)  but he

 has taught me many things for

which I am grateful.   I have written

 a poem about HF that I will share later

in the week.  I will also post some

 fabulous photos taken by another

HF fan from New Zealand - Saphira. 

 She took over 500 photos a few

days ago when she went to see

 him at the Wellington Zoo.

She was blessed to have cold, cold

weather and HF's door was open to

 his little salt water pool.   She has

 been gracious to share them all

 with other Happy Feet fans and to

 let us use them to our heart's content.

Thank you, Saphira !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you can see the beauty

of a tree, then you will know

what love is.

--- Miranda July

Happy Feet the Found Penguin in New Zealand

I have spent the past week

 watching THIS

It is addicting so watch

 at your own risk!   :o)

They hope to release him

later in August.

You can find more info on Happy Feet

the penguin at:

The Wellington Zoo Facebook page

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I never think of the

 future ---

it comes soon enough.

---Albert Einstein