While I was in Dunedin, New Zealand, I went to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins. These are the rarest in the world and are endangered.
The penguins are protected and you can go with a guide through the area, careful of stepping on any burrows and not to scare the penguins when you come across them in the wild. There is also a penguin hospital in the area to help those not doing so well.
This year, only one chick survived and he is shown below, resting in his burrow. This is because of shortage of food and toxins in the water and food in area. The parents weren't feeding their chicks because of it and they were all undernourished. All attempts by the organization to save them failed because the parents create special enzymes and transfer them to the chicks. There isn't a way for us to give them the enzymes yet, so they weren't able to survive with the best efforts.
While walking through the area, we came across 6 penguins and a sea lions out in the open, walking around. There were also little penguins here, in their burrows and we could see many from the entrance to their homes.
This was an incredible day for me, also a sad one because they are such beautiful, cute, and love-able creatures. I hope
We can raise enough awareness for their cause to help save the species.
Check out their website for more information:
http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/
The only chick to survive this year.
Yellow Eyed Penguins.
Little penguin in its protected burrow.
Sea lion.
Penguin Hospital.
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