Nine Magellanic penguins were released into the sea at Punta del Este on Wednesday after months of rehabilitation.

The penguins were found stranded on the shores of Uruguay in recent months, suffering from hypothermia and other issues.

The Maldonado Society for the Conservation of Biodiversity (SOCOBIOMA) cared for the animals, providing veterinarian care and food.

A key part of the rehabilitation process was waiting for the penguins' plumage to regain the impermeability required for survival in their natural habitat.

"Most of them arrive at the center malnourished due to a lack of food in the sea," said Lucia Araujo, volunteer at SOCOBIOMA.

"They go many days without eating and begin to weaken. Some arrive anemic and start heading to the coast."

Araujo added that some penguins also arrive injured by fishing nets.

After their release from cages, the penguins waddled across the sand and entered the water as onlookers applauded.

Magallanic penguins live and breed along the coasts of Argentina and Chile. During the southern hemisphere winter, they migrate north in search of food and warmer waters, with some reaching as far as Peru on the Pacific coast and Brazil on the Atlantic coast.

AP Video by Diego Casal

Produced by Victor R. Caivano