Entry 5 - Little Penguins

Damage to the beaks of Little Penguins can be caused by entanglement in fishing nets and gear or predator attacks. This penguin’s lower beak is missing thereby restricting its ability to catch and hold onto fish in the wild. The act of being rescued, the intervention of veterinary treatment, followed by recovery care at the National Aquarium ensured its survival. There are numerous other names that Little Penguins/Eudyptula minor are known by including: Blue Penguin, Little Blue Penguin, White-flippered Penguin, Fairy Penguin, little blue penguin, blue penguin, fairy penguin, white-flippered penguin, and kororā/korora in Maori.

This Little Penguin is living at the National Aquarium of New Zealand due to an eye injury and is relaxing safely in the reconstructed beach habitat provided at Penguin Cove. The survival of unique and rare native birds of New Zealand through teams of trained staff in organisations such as the Department of Conservation, with help from volunteering New Zealanders and dedicated communities, along with sponsorship from many New Zealand businesses, and financial support from tourism and centres such as the National Aquarium cannot be underestimated.

Little penguin (kororā in Maori)/Eudyptula minor, is a species native to New Zealand and South Australia. The species is most often commonly called Little Blue Penguin, a suitable name for the smallest penguin in the world with a distinctive blue colouring, only 25cm high and weighing a mere 1kg. The conservation status of Little Penguins in New Zealand is that they are at great risk and their numbers are in decline. New Zealand conservation initiatives to protect, save, and help to ensure the survival of these rare Little Penguins include rehabilitation centres such as the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier. Working closely with the Department of Conservation, the Aquarium team at Napier care for and rehabilitate injured, orphaned, or sick penguins. This series of photographs were taken in Penguin Cove at the National Aquarium to demonstrate why the Little Penguins were brought to the Aquarium, the causes and types of injuries they have, and the habitat created to aid their recovery or provide a permanent home. Just before feeding time at Penguin Cove these two Little Penguins are either playing or jostling to be first in the queue for their dinner. The penguin on the left has a missing eye.

Threats to the survival of Little Penguins include road kills and injuries (including from vehicles being driven on beaches and in river beds), entanglement in fishing nets and injuries caused by fishing gear, being hit by boats, and predators. Predators introduced to New Zealand by humans such as ferrets, stoats, cats, and dogs, are all capable of killing or maiming Little Penguins. The biggest threat is likely from dogs. Dog numbers have grown with increased coastal developments, and not all humans keep their dogs under control. Loose dogs on the beach are a threat when adult penguins come onto land in the evening, and as penguins nest in burrows that dogs can dig into, the are also a threat to successful breeding. This image is an example of how fencing and signs aimed at dog owners are used to help protect wildlife beach habitats from dogs. Fencing also helps prevent penguins from wandering across the road, most often when they nest on the other side of sections of coast roads and cross to their burrows in the evening to feed chicks. This example fence is at Punakaiki, West Coast, South Island and was constructed as a project between the West Coast Penguin Trust and the Department of Conservation. The numbers of Little Penguins is declining in areas where there is no predator control. Where some predator control has been introduced, such as fenced beaches or on islands, the stability of penguin population is more likely but not entirely ensured.

The flippers of Little Penguins are like paddles that enable the penguins to fly through water at speeds up to 6 km per hour!. To lose or have an injuries to one or both flippers severely impacts their ability to swim and survive in the wild and can lead to a penguin requiring permanent care in captivity. The penguin in the centre of the photograph has had one flipper torn off, just behind that penguin is one with the lower beak missing, and at the back is a penguin with it’s eye missing.

Some Little Penguins are brought to the National Aquarium as abandoned chicks, when they are suffering from a sickness and need care in safety to recover, have partial sight, or have been attacked by dogs. Those that have grown into healthy adult penguins, or recovered from an illness or injury and capable of surviving unaided, are returned to the wild where possible. Those that need ongoing lifetime care stay at the Aquarium. The National Aquarium is next to the sea and has a continuous supply of fresh salt water to maintain Penguin Cove as a recreated natural habitat free from chemicals, much better for the health of the resident penguins than water with additives. This Little Penguin is looking forward to diving into the fresh salt water provided!