Little penguin hand-raised in WA

March 05, 201

A penguin chick has been successfully hand-raised in WA after his parents struggled to feed him. Source: AAP
 

A PENGUIN chick has been successfully hand-raised in Perth with fish smoothies after his parents struggled to cope with his feeding demands. 

In a first for the Penguin Island Discovery Centre, the 10-week-old chick named Noorook, which is an Aboriginal word for egg, has been re-introduced into the centre, as part of a wildlife interaction program that raises awareness of the vulnerability of the Little Penguin population.
Supervisor Jane Dawson said hand-raising the captive-bred penguin initially involved fish smoothie feeds every two hours. "Noorook had a rocky start to life since hatching in November, but he is now flourishing," she said. "By the time a Little Penguin reaches 10 weeks of age it is fully grown, which is why we have waited a while to introduce Noorook to other penguins in the group. "Noorook has been spending an hour each day mingling to help with the transition."

The Little Penguin is the world's smallest penguin species, reaching about 40cm tall and weighing about one kilogram. It is also the only penguin to breed in Australia, with an average lifespan between seven and 10 years. "However, of the eight Little Penguins we have at the centre, seven are between the ages of 11 and 21," Ms Dawson said.

Penguin Island is home to more than 400 breeding pairs of Little Penguins.

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