Miriam Hall reported this story on Monday, October 1, 2012 12:50:00
ASHLEY HALL: For the small colony of penguins on Sydney's Northern Beaches, life can be cruel.
These little penguins are also known as fairy penguins, and where they nest around the beaches of Manly, they are vulnerable to dog attacks and being hit by boats.
But each night, a group of volunteers does their best to protect the penguins by watching over them as they make the risky journey from the ocean to their nests.
Miriam Hall joined these "penguin wardens" during an evening's work.
MIRIAM HALL: It's dusk at Manly, and a penguin chick is waiting for its father to come home from the sea with dinner.
This chick, nicknamed Pingu by local residents, is about five weeks old.
Pingu's mother was killed by a dog, so its father is left with the responsibility of finding food and providing protection.
Sarah Davies lives just near this penguin's nest, and checks on it twice a day.
SARAH DAVIES: He is, like, triple the size in three weeks. The dad is doing such a good job.
MIRIAM HALL: Sara Davies is a penguin warden in-training. At dawn and dusk she checks around the nest for signs the father penguin has been returning to the nest at feeding time.
SARAH DAVIES: Normally there would be two adults, and without the mother there to protect it, the little chick is really at risk.
MIRIAM HALL: In a few weeks Pingu will lose its baby feathers, and head out to sea for the first time. These penguins would have been taken to the zoo but instead they're being watched over by penguin wardens.
ANGELLIKA TYSLER: My name is Angelika Treichler and I'm the coordinator for the Manly penguin wardens. They've taken over my life, the penguins, I've got to admit that. I used to come here every night, and now I'm 70, and I've got 20 people helping me.
MIRIAM HALL: This is the only inland penguin breeding colony in New South Wales. Angelika Treichler has been leading the team of volunteers for the past eight years.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: They come from all walks of life. We've had ex-ballet dancer, we've had, we even get homeless people coming to help us, and people who need a bit of company.
MIRIAM HALL: On a warm evening, the beach at Manly is busy, and there's a small crowd gathering. This is where the penguin wardens step in, making sure people don't get too close or use camera flashes
JAKE: Most of them are really cooperative, but you have that small minority who will just hate you for telling them what to do.
I'm Jake and I'm 19-years-old and I've been a penguin warden for five years now. We have the two main penguins, Silver Wing and Stickybeak that live here. Silver Wing had a silver tag on her flipper-when, that's when the penguins were being, before they were microchipped they had silver bands on them, so that's how she got her name. And Stickybeak got his name because of a funny incident - Stickybeak was found across the road in one of the night clubs.
MIRIAM HALL: So it actually came into a night club?
JAKE: Actually came into the nightclub, which was really, really funny.
MIRIAM HALL: The penguin wardens say plastic rubbish on the beach, pet dogs and leisure boats are the biggest threat to the penguins.
The chief penguin warden is Angelika Treichler and she has experienced ups and downs in eight years watching over the penguins.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: At the end of this bay there is a beautiful rocky habitat, and there was a rocky balcony with Romeo and Juliet living on it, there were two penguins, and three of their sons with their partners lived there, and one night one dog killed seven of them.
MIRIAM HALL: What kind of successes have you have, which kind of moments have been really good?
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: The best this is that when I first started here at the wharf, there was only one couple breeding under the wharf. And in the end we had five couples!
MIRIAM HALL: For Angelika Treichler, the penguin warden program has not only helped the birds, but the volunteers as well.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: We've often had people tell us that, after having depression, or feeling bad or down, that they felt a lot better when they saw the penguins, and when they were able to help them, too.
MIRIAM HALL: What do you think is it about penguins?
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: I think they're really cheerful animals. They look so funny, like little martians or like little men waddling along, and also they have something, at the same something very vulnerable.
ASHLEY HALL: Manly chief penguin warden Angelika Treichler, ending that report from Miriam Hall.
These little penguins are also known as fairy penguins, and where they nest around the beaches of Manly, they are vulnerable to dog attacks and being hit by boats.
But each night, a group of volunteers does their best to protect the penguins by watching over them as they make the risky journey from the ocean to their nests.
Miriam Hall joined these "penguin wardens" during an evening's work.
MIRIAM HALL: It's dusk at Manly, and a penguin chick is waiting for its father to come home from the sea with dinner.
This chick, nicknamed Pingu by local residents, is about five weeks old.
Pingu's mother was killed by a dog, so its father is left with the responsibility of finding food and providing protection.
Sarah Davies lives just near this penguin's nest, and checks on it twice a day.
SARAH DAVIES: He is, like, triple the size in three weeks. The dad is doing such a good job.
MIRIAM HALL: Sara Davies is a penguin warden in-training. At dawn and dusk she checks around the nest for signs the father penguin has been returning to the nest at feeding time.
SARAH DAVIES: Normally there would be two adults, and without the mother there to protect it, the little chick is really at risk.
MIRIAM HALL: In a few weeks Pingu will lose its baby feathers, and head out to sea for the first time. These penguins would have been taken to the zoo but instead they're being watched over by penguin wardens.
ANGELLIKA TYSLER: My name is Angelika Treichler and I'm the coordinator for the Manly penguin wardens. They've taken over my life, the penguins, I've got to admit that. I used to come here every night, and now I'm 70, and I've got 20 people helping me.
MIRIAM HALL: This is the only inland penguin breeding colony in New South Wales. Angelika Treichler has been leading the team of volunteers for the past eight years.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: They come from all walks of life. We've had ex-ballet dancer, we've had, we even get homeless people coming to help us, and people who need a bit of company.
MIRIAM HALL: On a warm evening, the beach at Manly is busy, and there's a small crowd gathering. This is where the penguin wardens step in, making sure people don't get too close or use camera flashes
JAKE: Most of them are really cooperative, but you have that small minority who will just hate you for telling them what to do.
I'm Jake and I'm 19-years-old and I've been a penguin warden for five years now. We have the two main penguins, Silver Wing and Stickybeak that live here. Silver Wing had a silver tag on her flipper-when, that's when the penguins were being, before they were microchipped they had silver bands on them, so that's how she got her name. And Stickybeak got his name because of a funny incident - Stickybeak was found across the road in one of the night clubs.
MIRIAM HALL: So it actually came into a night club?
JAKE: Actually came into the nightclub, which was really, really funny.
MIRIAM HALL: The penguin wardens say plastic rubbish on the beach, pet dogs and leisure boats are the biggest threat to the penguins.
The chief penguin warden is Angelika Treichler and she has experienced ups and downs in eight years watching over the penguins.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: At the end of this bay there is a beautiful rocky habitat, and there was a rocky balcony with Romeo and Juliet living on it, there were two penguins, and three of their sons with their partners lived there, and one night one dog killed seven of them.
MIRIAM HALL: What kind of successes have you have, which kind of moments have been really good?
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: The best this is that when I first started here at the wharf, there was only one couple breeding under the wharf. And in the end we had five couples!
MIRIAM HALL: For Angelika Treichler, the penguin warden program has not only helped the birds, but the volunteers as well.
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: We've often had people tell us that, after having depression, or feeling bad or down, that they felt a lot better when they saw the penguins, and when they were able to help them, too.
MIRIAM HALL: What do you think is it about penguins?
ANGELIKA TREICHLER: I think they're really cheerful animals. They look so funny, like little martians or like little men waddling along, and also they have something, at the same something very vulnerable.
ASHLEY HALL: Manly chief penguin warden Angelika Treichler, ending that report from Miriam Hall.
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