Injured penguin Bella swims towards Manly Wharf where her soulmate Lucky the Little Penguin has been waiting

• Manly Daily
• December 18, 2014

Bella prepares to return to Lucky, mating partner who has been calling out for her at night. Picture: Toby Zerna

• Bella the penguin was found with a wound caused by fishing line in November
• She underwent surgery at ­Taronga Wildlife Hospital
• Her soulmate Lucky has been waiting for her under Manly Wharf
• Staff at Taronga Zoo call for harbour users to help keep the penguins safe

It’s probably not the first love story that has been set under the wharf in Manly, but the story of penguins Bella and Lucky is a beauty. Bella was found with a nasty foot wound caused by fishing line in November, in her usual haunt beneath Manly Wharf. She was taken to ­Taronga Wildlife Hospital, where she had surgery and stitches, and has spent the last month in recovery at the hospital’s intensive care unit and at Taronga’s rehabilitation pool.

The injury on Bella's foot is believed to have been caused by fishing line. Picture: Toby Zerna

 

With her foot now repaired, Bella was released at Store Beach in Manly by penguin warden Angelika Treichler, and the first things she did was look for her life mate Lucky. “I let her jump into the water and she dived down, then came up and looked around like she was getting her directions, then she swam off towards Manly Wharf,” Ms Treichler said.

Angelika Treichler holds Bella before releasing her at Store Beach. Picture: Toby Zerna

 

“Lucky’s been sitting there just looking out every night waiting for her. He hasn’t even gone fishing.”

Bella swims off with confidence. Picture: Toby Zerna

Ms Treichler, who with a seabird expert spent two days catching Bella after she was injured, said the feeling of letting her go was incredible. “It was as though I was being released into freedom myself,” she said. The staff from Taronga Zoo gave the penguins some privacy to reunite, but wanted to emphasise that injuries like Bella’s could be avoided.

Injuries like Bella’s could be avoided. Picture: Toby Zerna

Libby Hall, who manages the Taronga hospital said that Bella couldn’t walk or swim when she arrived injured and was also underweight. She said that more awareness around rubbish disposal could have prevented her wounds, which were “consistent with fishing line injuries”. Sydney Harbour National Park ranger Melanie Tyas called on harbour users to keep the penguins in mind over summer.

Bella (front) with her penguin friend Monty at Taronga Zoo. Picture: Toby Zerna

 

“The breeding success of the population over the last five years is testament to how much Sydneysiders care about these beautiful birds,” she said. “The Harbour is busier than usual over Christmas and summer and the penguins are at their most vulnerable as many of them are moulting. We’re asking everyone to remember our little penguins are about and to help look after what really is a unique population in our city.”

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