Pen-chan is a six-year-old Cape penguin that escaped from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and entered the sea during an event on August 25th. Pen-chan was born and raised in captivity, so she had no experience swimming in open water or hunting for food, so keepers feared for safety.
But amazingly, on Sept. 8, [keepers] received information that the flightless bird had been seen happily bobbing in the water at a beach 45 kilometers away.
"I thought she would look exhausted, but she was swimming as usual," Imai said after the animal was recaptured.
"It was beyond my surprise…. It's a miracle," he said.
He said that 6-year-old Pen-chan must have been eating fish and crabs that she caught itself.
Japan Times
Unfortunately, I do not speak Japanese, but it appears Pen-chan had no comment about her adventure.
Other than being a little underweight, Pen-chan survived her ocean escapade unharmed. She likely regretted her escape immediately, like this fellow who hopped out of their enclosure and found themself among humans.
Previously: Watch these penguins belly-flop off a 50-foot cliff
