A little penguin that underwent life-saving surgery has been released back into the wild after a heartwarming community effort.
'Red' was rescued at Phillip Island off Victoria's south coast after a tip off from a member of the public.
The penguin had bite marks on his leg and couldn't swim.
Wildlife Victoria's travelling vet team performed life-saving emergency surgery and placed Red in 24-hour intensive care.
But he wasn't out of the woods yet.
A bald area of scar tissue was preventing the growth of waterproof feathers needed for him to survive in the ocean.
Another surgery at Newhaven Veterinary Clinic was able to fix the issue.
"After several weeks in recovery he was swim tested and found to be fully waterproof," Phillip Island Nature Parks' Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic manager Kim Noy said.
"At the Wildlife Clinic, little penguins must be able to swim for three hours and still have dry feathers to be ideal for release back into the wild."
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Six weeks on from his rescue Red was released back into the wild.
"With the help Red received from Wildlife Victoria and our rehabilitation clinic he is well prepared to find the other penguins out at sea and rejoin the group," Ms Noy said.
Phillip Island is home to 40,000 little penguins making it one of the world's largest colonies.
A Wildlife Victoria spokesperson said its emergency response service took the initial call from the concerned member of the public who spotted Red.
"Our travelling veterinary service was on hand to attend which is so important for good outcomes for injured wildlife," they said.
"A huge thanks to the member of the public who called Wildlife Victoria to let us know about poor little Red."
