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From our scientist, Hiltrun Ratz, PhD
scientist@penguins.org.nz 
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We thought this was the last photo of Poppy's chick with either Poppy or her mate at the end of December. They had hidden it so well that we thought it had been killed and dragged away by a predator - but alas it re-appeared and is now safely in rehab.  They used to live in Flipper Palace but have now moved to behind Casa Lola (but currently reside in our rehab facility). This was the first day (back in December) when they were home alone as they had grown so much that both parents were off getting food for the day.  Her parents had picked a beautiful box with a fantastic view over the ocean. This photo from December shows Arona aged about 6 weeks. The strange bar that is in front of the box is to keep sheep out. This box is in a grazed paddock and the lambs like to come in and share the shade. The penguins just duck under the bar as they come in and out of the box while the lambs can't get in.  The newly sponsored mother of these two chicks was unfortunately not visible in this photo - the last taken of the chicks near their box in December before they were uplifted to rehab for their protection. We had lost a 4kg chick very close to here and these two were one of the youngest - and therefore smallest - in the colony and they definitely were in great danger of the predator. Apologies to Molly's sponsor - we will try to get a photo of her when she comes in to moult maybe in February.  This nest box is very deep - and very comfortable for the penguins as it is in the open and they can enjoy the shade on sunny days. So it is near impossible to get a chick-and-box photo. The chick is doing well in rehab now - and is much bigger and more developed of course because this photo is from December.  It is quite random to get photos in the colonies. It depends on what the penguins are up to so some sponsored penguins feature maybe a bit more often than others. These two were very decorative in their cave nest on this day in about mid December.  These two chicks live in Claire's house and one of them was so intent on the preening that it never noticed us wandering past.  It happens so quickly so we don't see it often. In mid December we came across Janet and her mate. One of them had just come home and is greeting his/her mate. Of their chicks has realised dinner - or lunch? it was in the middle of the day - had arrived and it started begging. The parent that had stayed during the morning hung about for a little while and then headed away to go fishing. The returned parent then fed the chicks - s/he made them walk though but both chicks got fed.  Freshly sponsored Sam has a sibling and his mother is loved from afar and called Lesley. She is a young 3-year old on her second mate. She raised one chick last year and would have probably done just fine with these two were it not for danger of the predators. So now Sam and his sibling are safely in rehab and will be released fat and healthy some time in February.  and father Stewie Junior, mother Anna, and a sibling live in Uncle Chang's box. Stewie and Anna did a fab job on raising the chicks - now safely tucked away in our rehab to protect them from the predators that claimed 3 chicks in late December.  |
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