PHOTO: Lone Abandoned Baby Penguin Experiences Good Side Of Humans

If you ever thought that human beings can get rather inhumane to their young, you probably have never seen how some wild animals treat their babies. Often, nature’s infants are baptized in fire so as to make them tough; survival of the fittest is the only and all. However, one abandoned baby penguin experiences kindness at the hands of humans after getting nature’s short end of the stick.

During one sunny day at a beach in Christchurch, New Zealand, a baby penguin was found alone and cold. Its species was called Eudyptula minor or literally little penguin because they are the smallest in the world. So you can imagine that the baby penguin is small and defenseless in such an unforgiving environment where infants are often prime targets for hungry predators.

Jeff Mein Smith was apparently concerned when he first saw the baby penguin all alone on the beach, So he thought to check on the little dude once he was done with his biking routine. Upon returning, however, Smith was surprised that someone already took the initiative and looked after the flightless bird. They even put a simple cardboard sign saying what the penguin might be up to and that people should keep their dogs away:

The sign attracted the attention of wildlife experts. They suggested that while the baby penguin might have been waiting for its mother to return like the sign says, they also determined that the penguin looks to be around two months old. This was an age where little penguins are too old to still be a dependent.

Hence, they stepped in to lend the baby penguin a hand. They also discovered that the little guy was underweight for his size, meaning he did need help. It is now at the Christchurch Penguin Rehabilitation to recuperate its strength and gain weight before getting released into the wild where hopefully, it will get a fighting chance at survival.