A pair of penguins had to be removed by police after making a home under a sushi shop

July 16th

Police in New Zealand detained two penguins who were nesting underneath a sushi restaurant Wellington Railway Station, according to a Facebook post.

They had called attention to themselves by making a "cooing, humming sound" Wini Morris, a restaurant employee, told Radio NZ.

Police captured the animals, and after conferring with a zoo and the Department of Conservation, the birds were released into Wellington Harbour.

But Morris told Radio NZ that the penguins soon returned. Again, they were released into the harbour.

Sushi Bi probably hasn't seen the last of them.

Police in New Zealand were called to a local sushi shop near Wellington Railway Station to help remove a pair of unwanted visitors. In a Facebook post, the Wellington District Police said they temporarily detained two penguins who had taken refuge underneath a local spot called Sushi Bi.

They had called attention to themselves by making a "cooing, humming sound," Wini Morris, a Sushi Bi employee, told Radio NZ.

Police responded to the call on Saturday night. 

After conferring with the Wellington Zoo and the Department of Conservation, the groups decided the best course of action would be to release the animals into the wild. 

With the help of two members of the public, Constable John Zhu released the birds, which have been described as "little and blue," into Wellington Harbour. 

But by Monday, birds were again found crossing the street, headed again to the sushi restaurant. The shop owners again called DOC for assistance, according to Radio NZ.

Mike Rumble, who volunteers with the DOC and helped relocate the penguins the second time, speculated that the restaurant employees and patrons probably haven't seen the last of them.

"It's a natural characteristic of the penguins — they will always return to where they possibly were nesting ... I wouldn't be surprised if the owner of the sushi bar says 'they're back,'" he said

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