A dozen penguins have settled into their new home at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium after making the move from their former home in Melbourne.
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The four king and eight gentoo penguins were carefully transported north in animal crates, similar to dog kennels, inside a specialist freezer truck.
The big move for the sub-Antarctic flightless birds is part of a population management and breeding program between three zoo and aquarium associations across Australia and New Zealand.
The penguins were specially chosen for their genetic viability, age and size, making them ideal to breed with the existing colony of seven king and 35 gentoo penguins.
The penguins had a happy welcome and were keen to make friends, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium Penguin Supervision Laetitia Hannan said.
"Penguins are so social and it's their main goal to be with other penguins," Ms Hannan added.
"We're hoping to see a few romantic partnerships blossom and our breeding program thrive.
The penguins are trained to voluntarily step into their crates before they travel, and were given a health check on their arrival.
They were then taken onto the ice to settle and eat before meeting the rest of the penguin colony the following day.
The eight gentoo penguins wasted no time, jumping into the water within an hour.
"It's been great to see each of our new gentoo penguins has already been for a swim, successfully navigating in, out and through their new waters," Ms Hannan said.
"Our king penguins are yet to take their first swim, which is very normal for them to take a few more days to settle down.
"They are most interested in building new bonds with the existing King Penguins and we look forward to seeing what the next few days bring for them."
The colonies of king and gentoo penguins are on display at the Sydney and Melbourne Sea Life Aquariums.
Australian Associated Press
