New Zealand farmers teach blind penguin how to swim

Blindy the penguin was born with a malformed head and beak

A penguin, who has been unable to see since birth, is being taught to overcome its disability thanks to swimming lessons from some local farmers.

The aptly named Blindy was found by the Helps family in Flea Bay, New Zealand.

Now 12-weeks-old, the little penguin is given regular swimming lessons by its rescuers, having stood slim chances of survival in the wild.


 Blindy was born with a malformed head and beak

Born with a malformed head and beak, the animal mostly swims in circles being unable to see where it’s going.

The disability also makes it hard to tell if Blindy is a male of female penguin according to Shireen Helps.

Helps believes the penguin is too disabled to return to the wild, but she hopes that a zoo might be able to care for the animal in time.

Shireen takes Blindy and other rescued penguins down to the nearest pond for daily exercise. While some penguins need little encouragement from a bucket, Blindy is literally thrown through the air into the water.

Although unable to swim like the rest of the colony, no penguin other than Blindy gets to fly.