(Image source: ITN)

BY AMY WILLMOTT

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

You're watching multisource science news analysis from Newsy.

Renowned penguin Happy Feet might have become someones Happy Meal.
The celebrity penguin’s tracking device has not sent back a signal since Friday, scientist’s fear that the penguin’s journey home may have come to a very abrupt ending

The three-year-old penguin was found washed up on a New Zealand beach in June, two thousand miles from home. The penguin was nicknamed Happy Feet by worldwide followers and was released back into the Southern Ocean September 4th. (Video: ITN)

Scientists affixed a tracking device to the penguin to make sure he wouldn’t make yet another wrong turn on his way back home. The device sends back a signal every time the penguin came to the surface.

Sky News reports...

“Experts are still hoping for the best and have said the tracking device may have become unstuck from the penguin's feathers or developed a fault.”

Kevin Lay, a firm specialist responsible for fitting the tracker device on Happy Feet remains positive.

"There are some species that will forage on emperor penguins. It's not likely that it has happened to Happy Feet because of the area he was in." (The Guardian)

A writer for Care2 says-- it’s a hard lesson for wildlife lovers.

“Questions may arise about the zoo’s decision to release Happy Feet back to the wild. But he was — is — indeed a wild animal and the zoo recognized that he could not live there permanently. It’s a cliché, but nature is not kind in the way we might wish her to be.” 

While Happy Feet’s fans wait anxiously to hear of his survival, wildlife expert Colin Miskelly -- who advised on the penguin’s treatment -- tells The Guardian...

"It is unlikely that we will ever know what caused the transmissions to cease, but it is time to harden up to the reality that the penguin has returned to the anonymity from which he emerged.”

The tracker company says it will continue to look for Happy Feet’s signal.
You can still check out an online map of his course-- just click the link in our transcript section.

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