Penguin-Nappers Drunkenly Steal Animal from SeaWorld

Three buddies from Wales found themselves “three sheets to the wind”, but in spite of their inebriated condition they were able to manage (allegedly) to sneak past security at SeaWorld, Australia.

According to Audubon Magazine, the trio, upon remaining undetected by the SeaWorld staff, proceeded to strip down to their underwear and jump in the dolphin tank for an evening dip. After all, what could be more fun and invigorating than swimming with a group of those delightful and playful aquatic mammals? The incident has had folks around the Internet drawing comparisons to the events of drunken adventures in The Hangover.

The comparison was only strengthened by what happened after their dip. Perhaps to memorialize their adventure, the group made a video in which one of the men is heard yelling to his partners who are swimming with the dolphins, "Yo, look at them...let's go get a penguin.”

An evening swim with the dolphins may not have been sufficiently thrilling for these three intoxicated fellows.  Adding to the excitement, upon awakening the next morning, much to their shock and chagrin they found a small penguin named Dirk “chilling out” in their Queensland apartment.

I really wish I could have been a fly on their wall observing their reaction the moment they spied the penguin.  But I bet my bottom dollar that if they were suffering with hangover headaches, finding the penguin would have made the pain even more excruciating.

But even with a throbbing headache, according to Reuters, after finding the purloined penguin, they made yet another video, in which one of the men says, “Can't believe ... penguin in our apartment man ... we stole a penguin.”

The three men dropped off a copy of the video of the penguin to a television station, supposedly to prove that they meant no harm, and that it was only a drunken prank.

Explaining how the men got rid of the penguin, in an ABC News blog, according to the police, one of the friends possibly panicked and dropped Dirk off at a "nearby waterway known to have sharks."

Prior to his kidnapping, the seven year-old penguin had never been out of his SeaWorld enclosure. Allegedly sharks chased Dirk out of the estuary, a dog chased him back into the water, but thankfully a couple found the frightened bird and SeaWorld staff were able to safely rescue him.

The three penguin-nappers are now facing charges of theft, trespassing and unlawfully keeping a protected animal.

To get the full story, watch the video uploaded to YouTube by 7 NEWS.

 I’m sure you will agree that mixing contact with animals and consuming alcoholic beverages is a cocktail which can only lead to a disaster. Thankfully this story has a happy ending for a very precious penguin.  What do you think?  Tell us in a comment.