This iPad-Savvy Penguin Loves Watching 'Pingu' To Get Over His Loneliness

A penguin at Australia's Perth Zoo has taken to binge-watching episodes of the beloved children's television series 'Pingu' to get over his loneliness. Pierre is an endangered Northern Rockhopper penguin who was found washed up on a beach in the south west of the country. He is the only penguin of his kind to be found in all of Australasia. 

"[Pierre] braved a record breaking swim from islands in the Indian or South Atlantic Ocean before washing ashore on a beach in the South-west," the Perth Zoo wrote in a statement shared alongside a video of the penguin watching shows on an iPad device. 

"He is experiencing feather moulting problems and is currently not waterproof so cannot be released to the wild but is receiving lots of TLC from the Perth Zoo veterinary team to get him back to full health," the zoo said.

Zookeepers were worried that Pierre would not be socialized enough to be able to return to the wild. To ensure that he could still see and hear other penguins of his type, the zoo began playing videos of rockhopper penguins in international zoos - including those in Kansas City Zoo in the USA and Edinburgh Zoo in the UK. Pierre also loves watching 'Pingu' - an animated show centred around a family of penguins. 

A video of the iPad-savvy penguin was shared by the Perth Zoo on Facebook this Friday, where it has received an outpouring of love and concern for Pierre. 

"Oh my goodness. Could he be any cuter! He is just precious," wrote one person in the comments section.

"It's a shame Pierre doesn't have a little friend but it's good that you are letting him interact with his virtual friends," another said.

Rockhopper Penguins are one of the rarest penguins in the world, known for their distinctive eyebrows.