The West Coast Penguin Trust has benefitted from a conservation partnership with Wellington Zoo Trust – Te Nukuao Tūroa o Te Whanganui a Tara for several years. The partnership began in 2017 founded on our shared interest in the wellbeing and improved conservation outcomes for both little penguins or kororā and Fiordland crested penguins or tawaki.
Our trust’s work has benefitted from donations, predominantly for tawaki projects, but also for penguin care and rehabilitation with the zoo’s animal hospital – The Nest Te Kōhanga, education, and sourcing ethical, sustainable fundraising items for sale. We have also presented our work to zoo staff and to other conservation partners and stakeholders, and supported the zoo’s lead on the global ‘Reverse the Red‘ campaign to ensure the survival of wild species and ecosystems.
One component of the conservation partnership is the opportunity to have a volunteer assist in our work. The zoo offers staff the opportunity to apply for paid leave to work on conservation projects linked to the zoo. This year we were very fortunate to have zoo keeper Ellen Richardson join us. Ellen’s key role was to assist Ranger Lucy Waller with the foraging study. Penguins need to be held carefully while loggers are attached and Ellen stepped up perfectly for this role. The flip side of attaching loggers is retrieving them. Ellen and Lucy spent hours waiting for some of the birds with loggers to return late at night so that they could be retrieved.
Loggers were deployed while penguin parents were incubating eggs and then again while they were taking turns to guard and feed chicks. Great care is taken and the handling time is minimised, usually less than five minutes. Data from the loggers for these two key stages is being analysed and we will report back in the new year.
Ellen spent a very busy eight days with Lucy, preparing for the logger work, and then working with Lucy on the foraging study field work, monitoring penguin colonies in the Buller district and helping with microchipping.
This was a fabulous opportunity for our trust to have a capable and committed volunteer on board, fully funded by Wellington Zoo Trust – Te Nukuao Tūroa o Te Whanganui a Tara. Lucy and Ellen achieved a great deal during the week and both enjoyed the experience. Our very grateful thanks go to Ellen and to Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo.
While materials were chosen that would stand up to the harsh coastal conditions, those same coastal conditions are conducive to plant growth! Occasional checks of the fences have been carried out by volunteers and rangers so that any maintenance needs can be identified and remedied. The never-ending need for maintenance is managing the vegetation that can grow through the fence, for example gorse, blackberry and hydrangea, pushing it to breaking point in places, or flop over causing damage from the weight of rank grass, rushes and weeds such as montbretia.
Volunteers recently spent a few hours tidying up the main fence along Woodpecker Bay north of Punakaiki so a big shout out to them - thank you Fiona, Jony, Reef, Katrina, Mandy, Marty, Teresa and Deb! Flax had been pressing down on the fence, but now the fence has been freed up by these wonderful volunteers - and they picked up a fair bit of rubbish too.
Volunteer Natassja Savidge has offered to check and help maintain the Hokitika penguin protection fence and joined Ranger Lucy Waller and Manager Inger Perkins in May to inspect the length of the fence. Some minor issues were found but the main finding was the extent of the vegetation growth that was damaging the fence in places. Big thanks to Natassja!
