King penguin spotted earlier this year along the Coorong and on the Eyre Peninsula has died

A king penguin that delighted South Australians after it appeared on the coast more than 6000kms away from its Antarctic home was killed by a dog or fox.

A king penguin spotted earlier in the year on the Coorong – and a few weeks later on the eastern Eyre Peninsula – has died, likely killed by a dog or a fox, the SA Museum has ­revealed.

The museum said the penguin was found dead by council employees at Lipson Cove, near Tumby Bay, “a short time” after it was seen there in February.

The late king penguin on Burns Beach at Port Neill on Eyre Peninsula. Picture: Brodie Cowen

An examination by the ­museum’s ornithology experts revealed it was attacked by either a dog or a fox.

It revealed the penguin was a juvenile whose stomach contained a number of squid beaks, small rocks and two sizeable pieces of plastic.

“While it is concerning to see seabirds ingesting plastic, the cause of death here was due to it having been attacked possibly by a dog or fox,” the ­museum said.

Brodie Cowen from Dubbo, NSW with a king penguin on Burns Beach at Port Neill on Eyre Peninsula. Picture: Brodie Cowen

The penguin was first spotted on a Coorong beach by a group of birdwatchers on ­January 15, as it emerged from the sea more than 6000km from the species’ usual Antarctic home.

On January 26, the penguin spent a few hours “hanging out” with a local fisherman at Wreck Crossing, about 45km north of Kingston SE.

The king Penguin spotted on a beach at the Coorong. Picture Steve Jenkins

The remains of the juvenile king penguin saw the bird had plastic in its stomach. Picture: SA Museum.

Days later, it was spotted at Port Neill on the southern Eyre Peninsula on February 7.

There were some doubts over whether it was the same penguin.

But Dr Julie McInnes from University of Tasmania said it was entirely possible the penguin swam between the two locations in that time.