Published: Friday, April 20, 2012
Three Welsh men face criminal charges in Australia after a drunken break-in at the Gold Coast's Sea World, where they swam with dolphins and kidnapped a penguin.According to Seven News in Queensland, the three men awoke last week at the Surfers Paradise resort after a long night out to find Dirk, a seven-year-old fairy penguin from Sea World, in their room with them.
The trio panicked and brought Dirk to a nearby canal. The Agence-France Presse reported that a couple saw the penguin get chased out of the canal by another animal, possibly a shark. They then saw him get chased back into the water by a dog.
"They thought it was very, very unusual, so they got on to their iPhone and googled 'lost penguin,'" Trevor Long, Sea World's director of marine sciences told AFP. "That came up with the story, and from there they were able to contact us."
Sea World workers soon rescued Dirk and returned him to his mate, Peaches. They said he was in distress but unharmed.
Police caught the three penguin kidnappers after they posted photos of themselves with Dirk on Facebook. The men also shot video of the previous night's events. Seven News said the men originally tried to sell the video so they could afford a lawyer, but eventually released it to Seven News for free in order to prove their remorse.
"We are, all three of us, sorry to Sea World for the time lost searching for Dirk," Rhys Jones told Seven News. "We're just glad he's alright."
Queensland police spokesperson Rachel Clark told CNN that the three men will face charges of trespassing, stealing and unlawfully keeping a protected animal.
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