Environment – Lucky rescue for tiny penguin

Hopefully you and your friends and whānau all had an enjoyable summer break, regardless of whether it was restful or adventurous.

While walking on Te Haruhi Beach this summer, you may have heard small birds with a high-pitched “chip chip” call. These are the Tūturiwhatu, or New Zealand dotterel. If they feel their nest is under threat, the adult might try to distract predators by running or pretending to have a broken wing to lure you away from the nest. At Shakespear Regional park, they have protection against introduced mammalian predators such as stoats, hedgehogs and feral cats, but they are still at risk from avian predators, potential disturbance from human activities, and loss of nests to large tides or storms. There are only about 2500 of them left in New Zealand, and it is therefore sad that, between the four pairs at Te Haruhi Bay, only one chick survived to fledging. For Tūturiwhatu, it has been a season to remember, for all the wrong reasons.

A happier story started early last November, when two NZ Defence Force personnel discovered a Kororā, or little penguin, trapped two feet down inside a metal drum on Defence Force land near Army Bay. The quick-thinking pair immediately realised she needed specialist help, so they contacted SOSSI’s experienced bird handlers to safely remove her. She must have been stuck there for some time without food, as she was quite emaciated and weak, with wounds on her nails and beak tip from trying to escape. Another SOSSI volunteer transported her to BirdCare Aotearoa’s intensive care unit in West Auckland, where she was treated with subcutaneous fluids, followed by careful tube-feeding of fish broth, before gradually progressing to solid food as she regained strength.

After close to two months in the care of the clinical team, the small penguin was ready to return to Army Bay. Ngāti Manuhiri formally gifted her the official name “Te Haruhi” for the return home, and she was released on Christmas Eve. This happy ending was the result of strong collaboration between the NZ Defence Force, SOSSI, BirdCare Aotearoa, Ngāti Manuhiri, and Shakespear rangers.

If you would like to engage in some end-of-holiday armchair fun, you could take part in the Entomological Society of New Zealand’s Bug of the Year competition, which is open for voting on its website. Insects, spiders, slugs, snails, centipedes, springtails and other “bugs” make up more than half of our animal diversity. They are vital for the health of our ecosystems. They provide food for birds and fish, pollinate crops and flowers, and help keep soils aerated, waste decomposed and backyards buzzing.

Info: https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/