http://qpsmedia.govs...uin-gold-coast/

Three men have been charged after allegedly stealing a penguin from a Gold Coast aquarium. Police believe the men allegedly gained access to the enclosure at a Main Beach address overnight.

RESCUE crews from Sea World were searching the Gold Coast Broadwater for a penguin stolen from the theme park overnight Saturday.

The fairy penguin was taken from its enclosure yesterday and is believed to have been released into the Broadwater.

Sea World 1, the rescue boat which responds to marine incidents ranging from beached whales to turtles trapped in shark nets, was searching for the penguin in fading light.

Anyone who sighted the Penguin was asked not to approach it, but to monitor the Penguin's location and to call Sea World on 5588 2177 immediately or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Three men were this afternoon arrested and were assisting police with their inquiries.

Edited April 15, 201214 yr by reanimated35

Yep definitely Sea World. There aren't any standalone aquariums on the gold coast and SW is located at Main Beach

Hope they find Dirk He's been found!

Queensland Police Service about an hour ago Gold Coast Police can confirm that Dirk the #BroadwaterPenguin has been located safe & well.

YAY!!!!! HE'S SAFE! To be honest, those poor penguins have to be some of the most unguarded animals there.

Makes me happy he was found! Penguins are cute

To be honest, those poor penguins have to be some of the most unguarded animals there.

The theft is alleged to have taken place overnight, and I'll just say that the perpetrators are lucky they managed to avoid the dogs that patrol the park at night. I also think it's a bit unfair to bemoan the fact that the penguins aren't more heavily guarded. I mean who steals a penguin? Who'd have thought that was even something that had to be guarded against? It's fantastic news that 'Dirk' has been found safe and sound, but it's more than a little disappointing to learn we live in a world where someone would steal a penguin. I'd expect that Sea World will have learnt that lesson from this, and you'd have to be more than a little foolish to try something like this in the future.

No the cynical part of me doesn't think that someone protecting the penguins from theft was a foreseeable problem which should have been guarded against. The cynical part of me is reading all the positive messages on the Queensland Police Services page and thinking "I bet they're liking this story more than the story that was on the front page of the bulletin over the weekend" Coast theme parks tagged as Giant Flops". At the end of the day the important thing is that Dirk is safe, which no matter what cynical way you slice it, is good news.

Edited April 16, 201214 yr by joz

I mean seriously - if you wanted to steal a marine animal and set it free, why not think on a larger scale? #FreeWilly I'm assuming they didn't jump the public fence to get to the penguin, but rather used the handler's entrance down the side? Wonderland also had dogs patrolling at night when it was operating - viscious bastards they were too, although their handlers were fantastic - some of the ex-cop K9s. And with the penguin enclosure being fairly 'central' in the park - it's a long way to the fence no matter which way you go. You just have to ask 'why'. I'm sure if they were animal rights activists or something you'd have heard about it by now, so chalk it up to young, dumb idiots? But again - 'why' ?

Did you guys here the radio this morning? Lots of fights with the radio reporter and the community.. I mean seriously, how do you steal a penguin from Sea World?

The story made me lol to be honest. Can't imagine that one night some guy just turned to his friend, beer in hand and said: "Mate. Let's steal a penguin."

The theft is alleged to have taken place overnight, and I'll just say that the perpetrators are lucky they managed to avoid the dogs that patrol the park at night.

Yea I wasn't thinking about the overnight bit when I posted that, I was thinking more someone managed to chuck one into a backpack or something during the end of the day exodus or something like that.

I thought they took one of the King or Gentoo penguins from the Penguin Encounter.. until I saw the news. All day I was wondering how in hell they got one of those penguins out! LOL

Must be easy to access Sea World. Free Entry woo! Where was Batman to save penguin! Oh right Movie World

Just saw on Seven News they have realised a video to show they never harmed Dirk, it was just a prank gone wrong, it also showed footage that before they stole Dirk they went swimming with the Dolphins