The emperor penguin, dubbed Gus, had somehow swam over 2,000 miles from his icy home and was found on a sun-drenched beach in Denmark, Western Australia, earlier this month.

An emperor penguin that swam 3,500km from Antarctica to Australia was released back into the chilly waters of the Southern Ocean this week.

The first emperor penguin found in Australia has been released after spending 20 days in the care of a wildlife expert, the Australian government said Friday.

In early November, Ocean Beach visitors were shocked to see an emperor penguin on the Australian shore. Gus, the penguin, had traveled nearly 2,200 miles alone

The emperor penguin made headlines after landing on Australia's coast, an the hope is he will now return to Antarctica.

An emperor penguin has been returned to the Southern Ocean, 20 days after washing up on a beach in southwest Australia.