Census shows penguin decline

Census shows penguin decline

Posted Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:01am AEST


Researchers are disappointed to find a continuing decline in fairy penguin numbers on Granite Island at Victor Harbor.

More than 30 researchers and volunteers have checked penguin nests and burrows as part of an annual census.

Penguins also have been checked and weighed.

While those on the island are healthy, early results show numbers are down on last year's total of 354.

Volunteer Kerri Bartley says researchers are at a loss to explain why.

"It could be for numerous reasons - lack of food resources in the area, predation, depending on the season, it is quite a late season," she said.

Natalie Gilbert from Granite Island Nature Park says it is unlikely visitors to the island are to blame.

"We know that it's probably not tourists. We've got a lot of strategies in place to protect the penguins from tourists and some other islands have had bigger population crashes and they don't even have people on those islands, so people are probably not the problem," she said.

Researchers estimate there were 2,000 penguins on Granite Island a decade ago.

Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/10/2681693.htm