Crowdfunding campaign launched in a bid to save NSW's last breeding colony of Little Penguins.
A conservation group is launching a crowdfunding campaign in a bid to fox-proof NSW's last breeding colony of Little Penguins.

The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW) is launching a Chuffed crowdfunding campaign to save Manly's endangered population of penguins.

In June, a fox wiped out 27 Little Penguins in 11 days. Despite the best efforts of shooters, trapping dogs and guards, the fox responsible has eluded all attempts to catch or kill it.

FNPW has helped fund all-weather jackets for Manly's volunteer Penguin Wardens, long-term population monitoring and nesting boxes for the colony since 1999.

Now FNPW wants to install new technology to protect the Little Penguins against further fox attacks.

The foundation is seeking $20,000 to install 20 motion-sensing cameras, a thermal camera to detect the body heat of predators and fox deterrents that emit bright flashing lights.

It will also buy more nesting boxes to help the penguins rebuild their population.


CEO of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife Susanna Bradshaw said the Manly colony was the last of its kind on the NSW mainland.

'Due to the presence of predators, all other breeding penguin colonies are restricted to offshore islands,' she said.

'My organisation has been involved with the Manly Penguins for so long. I was gutted to hear of the fox attack earlier this year,' Ms Bradshaw said.

'Friends and family in Manly have told me the same thing-the fox attack shocked and saddened them. These tiny penguins hold a special place in the heart of the Manly community.'

She said community support for the Chuffed campaign would make a huge difference.

'Deterrent fox lights will offer immediate protection, while monitoring cameras will alert dedicated staff and volunteers so any foxes in the area can be quickly controlled. A thermal camera will give a much-needed advantage to marksmen targeting silent foxes in the dark, and nesting boxes could help the Little Penguins rebuild the numbers they have lost.'

'We're so lucky to have penguins nesting right on Sydney's doorstep,' Ms Bradshaw said.
She said she would hate to think that in the future that there might be no more Manly Little Penguins left.

'That's why we're calling for support to do everything we can to protect them. To keep them there where they belong.'

Donate at https://chuffed.org/project/manly-little-penguins.

Photos: Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife


source