Two Britons fined over Australia penguin theft
Now this is what you call a “wild” night out! – see below. I wonder what the British version of this tale would involve. I remember telling my sister-in-law that if she really wanted to swim with dolphins I could take her to “The Deep” in Hull but that sounds pedestrian in comparison to this.
The two friends from south Wales were arrested after breaking into Sea World on Queensland’s Gold Coast during an alcohol-fuelled escapade on April 14.
They also swam with dolphins and let off a fire extinguisher in a shark enclosure, according to AAP news agency.
Jones, reported to be a former British Royal Marine and Mules, reported to be a bricklayer, were in Australia on a working holiday visa when the incident took place.
They snuck into the animal park along with Australian James Vasilj, 18, after drinking 1.5 litres of vodka between them at a beach party, AAP said.
The two Welshmen then snatched a fairy penguin called Dirk from an aquarium before waking up with the flightless bird in their apartment the following day.
The friends’ lawyer Bill Potts told Southport Magistrates’ court they meant no harm to the animal and tried to care for it by feeding it and putting it in the shower when they woke up with hangovers.