Hard to spot, harder to preserve

Despite various measures deployed in the recent years to protect yellow-eyed penguins, the outlook remains bleak. Marcel Haenen throws light on the present status of this rare bird species

Only a keen-eyed observer can spot the rare yellow-eyed penguin in the impenetrable forest hills that hug New Zealand’s South Island beaches. Native to this region, the birds mostly lurk under a canopy of thick shrubs, trees and branches, dashing for hiding places as soon as a human approaches.

Incredibly shy, the yellow-eyed penguin is truly odd. Measuring about 65 centimetres, or just over two feet tall, with striking yellow eyes and a yellow band across its head, it is the rarest species of penguin, and the only one that lives in the forest. It is also severely endangered.

In trouble

Despite various measures deployed in the recent years to protect this penguin’s flocks, the outlook remains bleak. On an average, only 18 of 100 penguin chicks survive their first year at sea. A decade ago, the population was estimated at 6,000. Today, conservationists reckon that only 2,000 yellow-eyed penguins are alive.

“This bird could soon become extinct unless urgent protection measures are taken,” said Fergus Sutherland, who for 25 years has been the caretaker of a penguin reserve, Te Rere, spanning 67 hectares (166 acres) in the Catlins forests.

The yellow-eyed penguin first got into trouble when large parts of its natural habitat were destroyed in the previous century. Farmers bulldozed and torched the forests, where the penguin lived, to make way for cattle and sheep. The Te Rere Reserve was founded in 1989, when Sutherland succeeded in persuading farmers not to destroy the forest on the southern tip of the South Island.

Eventually, reforestation efforts allowed about 120 yellow-eyed penguins to nest in the scrub. In February 1995, however, a fire started by a neighbouring farm spread to Te Rere, burning half the population.

Fergus regularly checks box traps set in the forest to catch ferrets, stoats and rats that prey on the young, flightless birds, refilling the traps with fresh eggs for bait. The penguins also fall victim to cats and dogs. Over the summer here, some of the roads to the beaches were closed to the public, to protect the penguins. There are signs warning that “persons causing distress to penguins will be prosecuted,” and the general public can watch the penguins only from special observation huts as they waddle off to sea at dawn, then disappear again into the forest at the end of a day’s foraging. During the 100-day nesting season that ended in February, Yolanda van Heezik, a marine biologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and Jim Watts, a ranger with the Department of Conservation, monitored the condition of seven yellow-eyed penguin nests on a beach on the Otago Peninsula. Breeding pairs always make their nests out of sight of other penguins,” Yolanda said. Jim visits the baby chicks about 30 times, weighing them regularly even though the task can be hazardous.

“They can use their flippers like a machine rifle and have a nasty bite,” Jim said. In the recent years, many chicks have suffered from avian diphtheria, which causes ulcers in their mouths that make it difficult to eat and breathe.

While the yellow-eyed penguin may be well protected on land now, they spend most of their days at sea, where they are on their own. Last year, veterinarians had to suture about 50 yellow-eyed penguins that were wounded in barracuda or shark attacks. “Fish populations are low, so penguins are being attacked as they compete for the same food,” said David McFarlane, field manager of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, a nonprofit conservation group.

For years, conservationists have been calling for a restriction on fishing to help protect the penguins. But Fergus, a member of the South-East Marine Protection Forum, a government-appointed group that recommends marine-protection sites to the government, complained that “the political lobby of the fishing industry is much stronger than us.”

On the other side of the debate is Nelson Cross, who represents recreational fishermen on the forum, and opposes further restrictions on fishing. While Cross acknowledged that there were “unfortunately occasional instances where a penguin has been caught in a commercial trawl,” he added that there was “no evidence that recreational fishing impacts in any way on the penguins.”

Human interference

The scientists, not the fishermen, he argued, were the real offenders. “Penguins suffer from human interference,” Nelson said. “Humans ignore the fact that penguins are wild animals and not a domestic variety accustomed to constant harassment and handling in the name of research.” Conservationists also hope that the growing ecotourism industry will persuade New Zealand’s government to take measures to preserve the country’s penguin population, because the penguins help draw tourists. Shops sell little brown bags of ‘penguin poo’ candies, and the penguin’s picture adorns dustbin liners marketed in Dunedin as well as the country’s five-dollar bill.

“Ecotourism is big business,” David said. “Penguins are bringing in good income in this region. It is only reasonable to allocate more funds for the protection of the yellow-eyed penguin at this dramatic point in their lives.” For now, private organisations play a vital role.

The Te Rere Reserve managed by Fergus is owned by Forest & Bird, the largest privately owned conservation organisation in New Zealand. During the nesting season, Fergus scribbled in a small booklet, carefully recording the condition of each of the 70 penguins at Te Rere.

Below, on a pebbled beach, an adult yellow-eyed penguin, motionless, stared at the sea. The penguin barely offered any resistance, but let out a deep, primal squawk as Fergus gently took hold of its flanks. The bird was wounded, probably from a shark bite. Fergus carefully climbed the slope, placing the bird in a cardboard box. He had hoped the penguin could be flown for treatment to a veterinarian specialist in Palmerston North, on the North Island. Air New Zealand offers to transport injured penguins for free, he said.

But a few hours later, on the back seat of Fergus’ car, the penguin quietly died, yet one more decrease in the yellow-eyed bird’s census.

The New York Times