Little bird faces dog then gulls
EMMA GOODWIN
05/04/2012
LEILANI HATCH/Fairfax NZ
SURVIVOR: This little blue penguin had a lucky escape after being attacked by a dog on Foxton Beach.
Staff at the Massey Wildlife Centre have treated three penguins in the past month for lacerations, but some birds have not been so lucky. One found at Scotts Ferry had to be destroyed.
One young penguin is about to be released after being brought in to the centre from Foxton Beach with cuts to its right wing and left leg.
"This one got off lightly," said Massey vet Janelle Ward. "There were no fractures but it needed stitches. He was quite feisty when he came in to us."
Ms Ward said the young adult penguin had just finished its annual moult and was quite thin when he arrived at the centre.
"He would have been quite weak, which would have left him more vulnerable. I imagine he probably got bitten by a dog and then the gulls started to attack him."
The little blue penguin is the smallest penguin in the world, standing at little more than 25 centimetres high and weighing about 1 kilogram. They are known to nest along the coast and on offshore islands, and return to land between December and February when they start moulting, which can take up to two weeks.
Conservation Department ranger Andrew Mercer said the department had heard of a few penguin attacks.
"They come ashore each year to moult and there is often a spate of dog attacks at this time. People need to keep their dogs under control at all times," Mr Mercer said.
The fact that they could also look like driftwood on the beach because of their colour meant extra care was needed when walking dogs, he said.
Ms Ward said the birds were vulnerable between dusk and dawn when they went in and out of the water.
The next time little blue penguins will be seen on shore will be about June when they begin preparing nests in time for the breeding season in August.
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