He might have been eaten by a shark but a life-sized sculpture will ensure the Emperor penguin that became famous after washing up on a New Zealand beach earlier this year is remembered forever.
The 90cm-tall model of the wayward penguin Happy Feet is both a fundraiser for a planned Coastlands Aquatic Centre near Wellington and something to honour the southern visitor who captured the public's imagination.
Coastlands Mall commissioned Human Dynamo Workshop sculptor Sue Dorrington and model maker Rob Uivel to make the painted sculpture, which is made of plastic resin.
The sculpture, which took about three weeks to make, will take residence at the Aquatic Centre once the complex is built.
Dorrington worked with Wellington Zoo vet nurse Sarah Holleman, who looked after Happy Feet after he underwent surgery after eating sand and sticks, and looked at news coverage to ensure the model captured the penguin's essence, she said.
"It was quite specific - we wanted it to be specifically Happy Feet, not just any Emperor penguin," she said.
The model was unveiled on Saturday and within the first 10 hours it had already raised hundreds of dollars.
Research vessel Tangaroa released the real Happy Feet into the Southern Ocean so he could swim the 1000km stretch to his Antarctic home.
However, a satellite transmitter fitted onto the penguin stopped sending signals, and wildlife tracking systems specialist Sirtrack said either the device had become detached or broken, or Happy Feet had been eaten.
