[caption id="attachment_62476" align="alignright" width="300"] In this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 photo provided by the Wellington Zoo a royal penguin rests in an enclosure at the Welling Zoo in Wellington, New Zealand. Thirsty and thin, the penguin was been found stranded on a New Zealand beach more than 1,000 miles from its sub-Antarctic home. (AP Photo/Wellington Zoo) EDITORIAL USE ONLY[/caption]Beach Stranded Penquin Dies 1,000 Miles from Home

Scientists are still baffled as to how a royal penguin became stranded on a beach in New Zealand, more than 1,000 miles from the penguin's normal Sub-Antarctic home.

Although hikers who found the beached penguin quickly took it to receive medical assistance at the Wellington Zoo, the unfortunate penguin could not be saved. Veterinarians at the Zoo said that the penguin was already in kidney failure when it arrived in addition to being emaciated and severely underweight. Pending an autopsy, zoo officials said that multiple organ failure was the likely cause of the sea creature's death.

The penguin only weighed 6 pounds and was less than 2 feet tall, although healthy penguins grow to almost 3 feet in length and twice that weight.

The dead penguin was estimated to be about 12 months old.

This has been only the fourth time in the past century that a royal penguin has been found in New Zealand.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Royal-penguin-stranded-on-New-Zealand-beach-dies-4295846.php