Thieves Steal Penguin and Swim With Dolphins

No, it's not the plot of a new Hangover movie though it does have all the elements. According to ABC News, three drunk friends broke into the SeaWorld in Queensland, Australia and decided to have a lot of fun on their own. They turned SeaWorld into their own little park, swimming with dolphins and bragging about their hijinks on Facebook. On the way out they stole a 7 year old penguin named Dirk.

Then, they woke up the next morning. According to ABC News:

After waking up with a penguin guest, police said one of the men panicked and let Dirk go in a waterway known to have sharks. Witnesses who found Dirk said something chased him out of the water. On land, the frightened penguin was chased by a dog before witnesses came to his rescue.

“He was extremely disheveled, he was quite exhausted last night after we did catch him but … he’s settled down well,” Trevor Long, Sea World’s director of marine sciences, told reporters.

As for the three mates, ages 18, 20 and 21 who broke into the water park?

The men have a court date next month where they’ll have to answer to charges of trespassing, theft and unlawfully keeping a protected animal.

I know what they did was illegal, but they have a pretty good story to tell for the rest of their lives.