Hello
We hope this newsletter finds you well and brings you a good distraction in these unsettling times of lockdowns and high alert levels.
Yet again we are locked down, but the penguin season has fully begun and they are busy building nests, laying eggs and starting to raise chicks, unaware of the COVID-19 chaos around them. Fewer people and dogs on the beaches and fewer vehicles on coast roads potentially means a slightly easier start to the season for our New Zealand penguins.
We have had some changes in the Trust since the last newsletter. We welcome Robin Long as new Chair, elected at our recent AGM, and we say a temporary farewell to Reuben Lane while he takes some time for other projects and adventures. We are also recruiting a new Ranger to take over from Matt Charteris and all his great work over the past three years as he also focuses on other projects.
Our AGM also means a new annual report (available here) and we're delighted to share all the news and progress made by the Trust and give our thanks to our many sponsors, donors and Supporters.
Our education resource has had a major makeover and is almost ready to go to the printers as the second edition, which is great news for everyone; watch this space!
While the local Westland petrels are receiving more funding this year to help with research projects, sadly the African penguin is struggling.
Read more about all these stories below.
And finally, we can never seem to say this often enough. Sadly penguins are still being killed by dogs including one recently on the cycle trail in Greymouth. Please do take care when out with your dogs on the beach and coastal areas, and encourage other dog owners to do the same. Keep them away from the dunes and under control at the beach, and on a lead when in or passing through the coastal vegetation. We have dunes where chicks may be waiting for parents returning with food, so it is an important time to pay as much attention as possible. And just a quick reminder that if you do see an injured penguin or any wildlife that seems to be struggling, please call DOC for assistance on the hotline, 0800 DOCHOT (362 468) and do all you can to ensure it is safe from dogs. If you see or hear about a dead penguin, please let us know, ideally with a photograph, so that we can add it to our database - which informs conservation actions.
Read on for all our news, thank you for your interest and support, and please feel free to forward this newsletter or any stories to a friend or someone you meet on your walk in lockdown!
Lucy Waller
Education and Awareness Ranger