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#Post#: 737--------------------------------------------------
Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to break
into nest
DIR By: Ghosttruck
Date: January 30, 2019, 10:45 am
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--- Quote ---
> Thieves in New Zealand have stolen two little blue penguins
after using a crowbar to force their burrow open. A third
penguin was killed in the raid, according to officials.
>
> The little blue penguin, or kororā, in the local Maori
language, is the smallest species of penguin. The flightless
birds, which are only around 12 inches tall, are found on New
Zealand’s coastline. Their conservation status is described as
“declining” by the country’s Department of Conservation.
>
> In a statement, the DOC said that the raid on the penguins’
burrow at Perfume Point in Napier on New Zealand’s North Island
occurred late on Jan. 24.
>
> DOC Hawkes Bay Compliance Officer Rod Hansen said that
officials received information that a woman was spotted holding
a torch while two men forced the penguins’ burrow open with a
crowbar. Authorities suspect that the crowbar was used to hook
the penguins out of the nest.
>
> Three penguins were removed from the nest, one of which died
during the raid and was left behind.
>
> Wrapped in towels, the two live penguins were taken by the
group, which drove them away from Perfume Point in a white car.
>
> “We are really concerned as we believe this might not be a
one-off,” said Hansen, in the statement. “We have no idea where
these birds are being taken to and we are seeking CCTV footage
from the surrounding area and hoping members of the public may
be able to come forward with further information.”
>
> On Jan 25, a dead penguin was found floating nearby. The bird,
which appears to be the third penguin taken from the nest, had
died from a head injury.
>
> DOC officials are working with other government agencies in
New Zealand in an attempt to track the thieves down. A number of
people have already been interviewed, according to Hansen.
>
> Officials note that the little penguin is the most common
penguin on New Zealand’s coastlines. The birds’ scientific name
is “Eudyptula,” which translates as “good little diver.”
>
> The tiny penguins are also found on the southern coast of
Australia, where they are sometimes called “fairy penguins.”
--- End Quote ---
HTML https://www.foxnews.com/science/little-blue-penguins-stolen-after-thieves-used-crowbar-to-break-into-nest
PS...the penguin in the picture looks pretty pissed!
#Post#: 738--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: Satanica
Date: January 30, 2019, 10:48 am
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Are they worth money? Used in satanic rituals? Why were they so
intent on getting these little birds?
#Post#: 740--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: Ghosttruck
Date: January 30, 2019, 10:50 am
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I believe they are rare...but not 100% sure.
#Post#: 756--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: BG
Date: January 30, 2019, 11:41 am
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They are listed as a "declining" species. And they're incredibly
adorable. People that can do this kind of thing to animals hurt
my heart.
#Post#: 764--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: KatO9Tails
Date: January 30, 2019, 11:52 am
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they are watched but not quite rare they are fairy birds tiny
cute and defenseless. I did a post on snatched penguins a few
years ago on DD, douches get drunk and steal them to sell them
and should be staked out and covered in honey and then left to
the local wildlife & peoples. This will be another case that's
like no doubt and hope they are found alive unlike their
murdered comrade
#Post#: 996--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: KatO9Tails
Date: February 1, 2019, 12:03 am
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they used the crowbar to pull the out of their burrow nest by
their necks which is how they killed the one, still no word but
other write ups, they are a protected species and apparently
have dropped in numbers since the last I heard of them
HTML https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47052446
"Two men were seen using a crowbar to prise rocks off the
penguins' burrow in Hawkes Bay and then hook the birds out by
their neck.
One of the penguins died in the process and was left behind, but
two were taken away.
Little blue penguins are the smallest breed of penguin and are a
protected species in New Zealand.
Authorities believe the thefts might be an indication of a
smuggling operation.
"We are really concerned as we believe this might not be a one
off," said Department of Conservation (DOC) Hawkes Bay
Compliance Officer Rod Hansen.
"The very next day another penguin was found dead floating
nearby and it appears to have died from a head injury."
The theft was carried out at night on on 24 January. The DOC
said they received reports of two men seen digging into the
burrow while a woman held a torch.
It is not clear where the birds were taken to and the suspects
have not yet been identified. "It is a very vulnerable time for
these wee penguins. They moult from January through to March and
stay in their burrows for protection... [this] further suggests
the poachers knew exactly when best to target the birds," said
Mr Hansen.
Little blue penguins, which typically measure just over 25cm
tall and weigh around 1kg, are the world's smallest penguin.
The population of little blue penguins is declining in New
Zealand and anyone found committing offences may be jailed up to
two years and fined up to NZ$100,000 (£52,000; $68,500)."
#Post#: 997--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: KatO9Tails
Date: February 1, 2019, 12:08 am
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A farmer that saved fairy penguins from foxes with his herd dog:
HTML https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35039105
"When foxes discovered little penguins on a small Australian
island, they nearly wiped the colony out. But a farmer came up
with a novel way to protect the birds - and the story has been
made into a hit film.
As a premise for a film, think Lassie meets Babe meets Pingu.
What's not to like?
Middle Island, a beautiful, rugged and windswept outcrop off the
coast of southern Victoria is home to a colony of the world's
smallest penguins.
Originally known as fairy penguins, before some pen-pusher
deemed that politically incorrect, they've now been given the
far more dreary sounding title of little penguins.
To be fair, they are just that - little, standing at 30 to 40cm
tall.
There used to be hundreds of them on Middle Island - but that
was before the foxes got to them.
"We went from a point where we had around 800 penguins down to
where we could only find four," says Peter Abbott from the
Penguin Preservation Project.
"In our biggest bird kill, we found 360 birds killed over about
two nights. Foxes are thrill killers. They'll kill anything they
can find."
That particular incident was in 2005, but the problem had been
building up for a few years. Middle Island - which is
uninhabited by humans - is separated from the mainland by a
stretch of water measuring no more than 20 or 30m.
At low tide, and when sand builds up in the narrow channel,
foxes can cross from the mainland barely getting their paws wet.
The problem first became apparent in the year 2000 when the
sea's natural current led to increased sand build-up.
Over time the fox population grew as it became clear they had an
easy source of food.
The fairy penguins, as I'm going to call them, faced being wiped
out on Middle Island - until a chicken farmer, by the
made-for-cinema name of Swampy Marsh, came up with a plan. He
suggested sending one of his Maremma dogs to protect the birds.
"In Australia those dogs are generally used for chicken
protection or goats or sheep," says Abbott.
The dog, the first of several to be used on Middle Island, was
called Oddball - and Oddball made quite an impact.
"We immediately saw a change in the pattern of the foxes," says
Abbott.
"Leading up to when the dog went on the island, every morning
we'd find fox prints on the beach. Putting a dog on the island
changed the hierarchy. The foxes can hear the dogs barking, they
can smell them so they go somewhere else."
Amazingly, since Oddball and his four-legged successors were
introduced 10 years ago, there has not been a single penguin
killed by a fox on Middle Island.
Also known as blue penguins, little blue penguins and fairy
penguins
Smallest of all known penguin species, made up of six
subspecies, they live in Australia and New Zealand
Most are monogamous and breeding pairs tend to return to the
same nest year after year
Successful mating produces a clutch of two eggs, which hatch
after 35-37 days
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
The fairy penguin population has gone back up to almost 200.
The current dogs patrolling Middle Island are Eudy and Tula,
named after the scientific term for the fairy penguin:
Eudyptula.
They are the sixth and seventh dogs to be used and a new puppy
is being trained up by Peter Abbott and his team to start work
in 2016.
The dogs operate in the penguin's breeding season, usually from
October to March, when they spend five or six days a week on the
island.
Even when the dogs are not there, their lingering scent is
enough to keep the foxes away."
The project has been such a success that a movie called Oddball
has been made about it.
"It's a great story. We're trying to save a cute penguin with a
couple of cute dogs but the movie has taken things to a
different level," says Abbott.
The film has already taken around 11m Australian dollars ($8m;
£5.3m) at the box office here and is now heading for global
audiences.
"The movie had been in the pipeline for many years," says
Kristen Abbott from the Middle Island Project Committee.
"Many of us thought, 'Yeah, we'll believe it when we see it,'
and then suddenly it was pandemonium in the town with video
cameras and actors everywhere."
It has provided a huge boost for tourism - and in the summer
months people can visit the island on a "Meet the Maremma Tour".
"It's been one of the best things that's happened for a long
time," says John Watson who runs a local hotel.
"It's filled a lot of extra bed nights for us with tourists
coming down to either meet the dogs or do a tour of the island."
Many of the locals appeared as characters in the film and others
worked as extras on set.
"My character was played by an American actor," says Peter
Abbott. "I tell people it's because they couldn't find an
Australian as good looking as me."
#Post#: 1035--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: FellOffThePorch
Date: February 1, 2019, 10:21 am
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--- Quote ---
> woman was spotted holding a torch while two men forced the
penguins’ burrow open with a crowbar.
--- End Quote ---
Haha! I totally am picturing a woman holding a fire torch while
2 guys in black and white striped shirts pry the nest open.
#Post#: 1310--------------------------------------------------
Re: Little blue penguins stolen after thieves used crowbar to
break into nest
DIR By: Mothra Twins
Date: September 13, 2023, 9:28 pm
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--- Quote from: BG link ---
>
> They are listed as a "declining" species. And they're
incredibly adorable. People that can do this kind of thing to
animals hurt my heart.
>
--- End Quote ---
But you think hunting for the last 9 black rhinos is just fine.
You're a hypocrite. But mostly a liar.
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