BBC Learning English
Words in the News
24

th

June 2011

Lost penguin reaches New Zealand

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 1 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

An emperor penguin from the Antarctic ended up stranded on a beach in New Zealand. It was

the first sighting of the species in the wild there for more than 40 years. Vivien Marsh reports

for the BBC:

Misdirected penguins are the stuff of fiction; the animated musical Happy Feet and the

Ukrainian satire Death and the Penguin both feature large aquatic birds who've strayed far

from home.

And a woman out walking her dog on New Zealand's North Island said she couldn't believe

her eyes when she saw what she described as a "glistening white thing" standing on the

beach.

It turned out to be a juvenile emperor penguin, about a metre tall, and 3,000 kilometres from

its base in Antarctica after taking a wrong turn.

No such bird has made that journey for more than 40 years. Conservationists are baffled and

concerned. One penguin expert was quoted as saying that although the bird was healthy, it

had been eating wet sand, having mistaken it for snow.

The New Zealand winter is too warm for an emperor penguin, and it's thought it'll soon need

to find its way back south if it's to survive.

Vivien Marsh, BBC News

Words in the News

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011

Page 2 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

Vocabulary and definitions

Misdirected

to have not taken the expected or intended route

are the stuff of fiction

exist in films and books but not usually in reality

strayed

travelled a long way in the wrong direction

she couldn’t believe her eyes

she was very surprised by what she saw

glistening

sparkling and bright

juvenile

young, not yet an adult

taking a wrong turn

going in the wrong direction

baffled

confused, perplexed, puzzled

was quoted as saying

had his words reported

having mistaken it for

thinking wrongly that it was

More on this story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13856024

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/06/110624_witn_penguin_page1.shtml