An escaped penguin in Japan has been found safe and sound two weeks after he escaped and swam for miles in an effort described by his caretaker as a true miracle.

Pen-chan, a female Cape penguin born and raised in “captivity”, who had never swum in the open sea or taken care of herself, escaped during an event in the central Aichi region on August 25.

Her caretaker, Ryosuke Imai, said, The Guardian reports, that a team immediately began scanning the area, but a powerful typhoon that brought record-breaking rain across Japan hampered the search.

Given Pen-chan’s lack of preparation for life in the wild, the team thought she wouldn’t get very far or survive for more than a week.

However, on September 8, Imai received word that the penguin had been spotted happily splashing in the water on a beach 30 miles (45 km) away.

“I thought it would be exhausted, but it was swimming as usual,” Imai said after the animal was captured. “It exceeded all expectations… It’s a miracle.”

She said that Pen-chan, who is six years old, must have been eating fish and crabs that she caught herself.

“I think it got there by stopping at different places for a break, but it’s still incredible,” he said. “She’s lost a little weight, but she’s doing great.”