Culture

Meet Your New Heroes, The Fairy Penguins Repeatedly Disobeying Police To Live At A Sushi Bar

We understand and respect the hustle.

by Jared Richards  16 July 2019
Wellington sushi Fairy Penguins

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A pair of fairy penguins are shouting ‘ACAB’ in Wellington, as police have now twice moved the “waddling vagrants” along from a sushi stand when they return.

The penguins were first seen waddling near Wellington railway station on Monday 15 July and removed and “temporarily detained” by Wellington police before they were returned to the city’s harbour.

As per RNZ, the lawless pair returned by the days end, crossing a four-lane traffic road and the train station to return to the Sushi B — they were escorted out again. It’s around a 300m journey, which really is quite long for a penguin.

The pair likely weren’t there to eat sushi, but to find a nesting spot to lay eggs later this winter. The birds were found by Sushi Bi worker Wini Morris, who heard a cooing noise coming from underneath the shop, near where the grills are, since it’s be warm.

In a statement to RNZ, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said it’s likely they’ll return again. Once they’ve found a spot, they’ll nest, which is a problem, considering how dangerous the waddle across four lanes of traffic is.

Fairy penguins, also known as little penguins, since they are the littlest penguins, are not considered endangered, but the Wellington population is considered ‘at risk’ due to a combination of factors — including traffic.

We salute this anarchist couple, and put them aside the cockatoo that tore up anti-bird spikes in Katooomba, saying “fuck the police”. The birds of the world seem to be protesting against the police state: why aren’t you?

Watch the full NZ Morning Report below.

Lead photo via Wikimedia, taken by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, used under license GFDL v1.2.