Little penguins bunker down to evade Tasmanian devils

• BRUCE MOUNSTER
• Mercury
• June 06, 2015

Penguin igloos being installed on Maria Island.

Sand moulds were used to build the metre-long igloos from concrete ­layers, reinforced by wire mesh.
 

CONCRETE bunkers are usually more at home in a war zone than on the sandy shores of Maria Island, but in a bid to protect little pengiuns from marauding Tasmanian devils they have become a necessary part of their habitat. 

Devils and little penguins coexist in other parts of Tasmania and Maria Island’s penguin colonies have remained relatively stable since the devils were introduced as part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s efforts to protect the species from the deadly devil facial tumour disease.

But wildlife biologist Phil Wise said scat analyses showed that devils were having an impact on local penguin populations around Maria Island’s Darlington settlement — an outcome predicted in the original devil translocation proposal.

The program’s members have teamed up with volunteers from the Wildcare group Friends of Maria Island, Triabunna High School students and the Parks and Wildlife service to build and install 20 igloo-shaped penguin nests to help protect the Darlington birds.

Mr Wise said before the devils’ arrival the penguins had often used sub-optimal burrows.

“But this is no longer possible,’’ he said.

Little penguins now have a safe place to sleep.
 

“The artificial burrows are intended to provide protected habitat closer to the water’s edge to minimise the distance that little penguins have to travel to suitable habitat, decreasing the risk of predation.’’

Mr Wise said penguins were also falling victim to the island’s feral cats.

“And it is suspected that brushtail possums do as well. Some habitat displacement has also occurred with wombats taking over some penguin burrows,’’ he said.

Sand moulds were used to build the metre-long igloos from concrete ­layers, reinforced by wire mesh.

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