Pierre the most famous penguin from Perth Zoo moving to Singapore

Pierre the most famous penguin from Perth Zoo the Northern Rockhopper Penguin who is moving to Singapore to be with penguins of his own type.
Pierre made news headlines earlier in the year due to him face timing with other Rockhopper Penguins whilst being treated at Perth Zoo’s wildlife hospital.
Being the only Rockhopper Penguin in Australia, the novel enrichment activity ensured that Pierre could still see and hear other penguins. This resonated with people all over the world who were separated from friends and families or in isolation due to the global health crisis.
“Pierre came into our care due to issues with his feathers not moulting properly.”, said Senior Veterinarian, Alisa Wallace

Pierre the most famous penguin from Perth Zoo moving to Singapore to meet the friends

It is what we call “arrested moult” and means the penguin is not waterproof and unable to swim and fish for themselves.”

We’ve been fattening him up and giving him all the nutrients and care he needs to promote feather growth however, it is an issue that can take multiple moults and some years to rectify.

Knowing that Pierre would need extra TLC for some time, our aim has always been to get him fit enough to be able to travel to another conservation zoo which has Rockhoppers so he could be with other penguins.

His welfare is our priority, Pierre is very social, and we know he will thrive being amongst other penguins,” said Alisa Wallace. Source: Perth Zoo

Pierre most famous Little Penguin Swimming creations Australian Animals Birds Perth Zoo Australia Video

Pierre was unique & we met once, but his own swimming style was very unique compared to the swimming style of other little penguins. very cute & bit younger in the video 🙂

Pierre the most famous penguin from Perth Zoo the Northern Rockhopper Penguin about

Northern rockhopper penguins weigh about 3 kg at the beginning of the breeding season. Pre-moult, the penguins average 4.3 kg. However, during the moult, they lose a lot of body mass and often only weigh about 2.5 kg by the end of the season.
Northern Rockhopper penguins are endangered. The global population is thought to be less than 240,300 breeding pairs and has declined by 60% in the past four decades. Approximately 85 percent of the species’ population is found in the South Atlantic Ocean and breeds at the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.

Since populations are located on remote islands, trends have not yet been well researched. Recent estimates indicate that there may be about 240,000 breeding pairs most of which occupy the islands of Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. Over the past four decades, they have decreased by nearly 60%. Active conservation measures are being undertaken to stop further population losses but the causes of the decrease are poorly understood.

Diet of Northern Rockhopper Penguins

Not much is known about the diet of northern rockhopper penguins. At least in some locations, crustaceans such as krill it can make up 90% of their food intake. The diet composition appears to change with season and squid are an important prey item during the early stage of chick-rearing.

Despite the existence of several colonies made up of hundreds of thousands of individuals, the southern rockhopper penguin is classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN’s Red List.

Rockhopper Penguins generally live about 10 years in the wild.

On land, the only threat to Rockhoppers comes from other birds like the Brown Skua which will try for eggs and chicks. Rockhoppers are very aggressive in defending their young and territory, rushing and snapping at invaders. In the sea, Rockhoppers are vulnerable to Seals, Sharks, and Orca – Killer Whales.

Rockhopper Penguins Interesting Facts

Pierre will leave Western Australian this week and move to Jurong Bird Park in Singapore which is home to a Rockhopper Penguin colony.

Pierre the most famous penguin from Perth Zoo moving to Singapore Jurong Bird Park to meet the friends
Their Penguin Coast is home to various species of penguin. They are experts at caring for these beautiful marine birds and we have no doubt this is the perfect long-term home for Pierre.”

He has been such a charismatic patient to have the honour of treating and will be missed, but we know this is the best outcome for Pierre,” said Alisa Wallace Senior Veterinarian.