Sunday 24th December 2017

The Pohutukawa is lush. Merry Christmas

​Hello friends and family
It is time to review 2017 and see what we can learn from it.
We took some heavy blows this year.
The first was when Janice died in January. She is sorely missed, especially her mischief and sincere interest in Yellow-eyed penguin welfare.
The second was when 13 of our breeding females did not survive the winter. That is just over a quarter of our birds. This was simply awful.
Then we got diphtheria in the chicks for the 3rd season in a row!

returning home from an adventure

​There were some positive outcomes as well.
11 new 2-year-old females bred for the first time which was a significant mitigation of the previous deaths and of these, half were saved as tiny chicks because we treated diphtheria when they were small.  We also rehabilitated some as underweight chicks and juveniles.

The gull chick is now getting flight feathers

​The level of support for Penguin Rescue’s work has increased, locally, nationally and internationally. Without that we would be struggling as our costs rise. Sponsorship by NZ King Salmon and others is a blessing. Over 95% of our newly planted trees, shrubs and ferns have survived, which is a credit to Chris and his propagation and site selection.

Staying at home with the chicks is becoming less common

 Katiki point is a better place for penguins to live, thanks to the new entrance pathway and the closing of the hide. Visitor numbers have increased but the gate is now closed at night. All the nests at the south end failed but the losses are less than last year. 

TheHoya is excelling itself with blooms and perfume

​We have new volunteers and intrepid long serving ones! The status of Yellow-eyed penguins has been raised to endangered and they have been identified as the only penguin species to be targeted by DOC for a turn around in their decline by 2025. The new government have more of a conservation bent than the previous one and the Minister has visited here.

Penguins move into a brand new box for shade

Have a wonderful Christmas and a great week!
Rosalie
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