Penguin treated for depression

Stress can kill penguins, a zoo official said

A baby penguin has been treated for depression in Australia after a day out in town - which included a stint in jail - proved too eventful.

They are not geared up for this and get very depressed

Zoo official

The penguin was found wandering dazed and confused near a McDonald's restaurant in suburban Melbourne, zoo officials said on Friday.

After being alerted by a local resident, police picked up the six-week-old chick and kept it in a cell overnight.

Stress alone can make them very ill and kill them

Zoo official

The penguin was given a box and a bowl of water in the cell.

Government wildlife officers later took the chick to Melbourne Zoo where it was seen by a vet and admitted to an animal clinic.

Distressed

Zoo spokeswoman Judith Henke said the penguin was extremely distressed after its big adventure and the accompanying media attention.

Penguins appear across the Australian coast

"Stress alone can make them very ill and kill them. They are not geared up for this and get very depressed," she said.

"It's inappropriate for them to be removed. Wildlife is best off left in its natural habitat.

"Hopefully it will take a turn for the better," she said.

It is unclear how the penguin ended up on Melbourne's streets.

Experts speculated it had been picked up illegally on a beach or island off the mainland and later dumped.