Wellington's famous blue penguins have been spotted again ... at a McDonald's restaurant!

Publish Date
Tuesday, 13 August 2019, 3:06PM

Last month, two little blue penguins stole headlines and hearts around the world after they were spotted waddling around Wellington City before hanging out at a sushi shop.

While they were quickly moved on by local cops, they decided to ignore their police warning however and had to be removed from the sushi shop a second time by Department of Conservation volunteers.

But fans of the pair will be excited to learn they're back!

The two Kororā penguins were this time spotted waddling into a parking building above a McDonald's restaurant.

As of this afternoon, Department of Conservation Ranger Brent Tandy said they had been released back into the harbour.

"Scooped them up, put a towel over them and put them into a cage and took them down to Frank Kitts Park and released them there.

"They swam off happily so yeah, whether or not that's the last we see of them ... is another story but for now they're safely back at sea."

Tandy said if they continued to return they would be relocated further away from Wellington's eateries.

Kororā are the world's smallest penguin with a conservation status of "at risk to declining".

They nest and lay eggs in late winter and will continue to return to their nesting site once it is established.

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