Roughly a quarter of the yellow-eyed penguin chicks from the mainland died from the respiratory disease during the 2021 November to December hatching season.
The likely cause of a disease that’s resulted in mass deaths among critically endangered hoiho (yellow eyed penguin) chicks has been discovered, but perhaps with hopes it can eventually be prevented.
Read the story here.
This is a species that cannot afford to have more threats to their survival…….
Hoiho are classified globally as endangered and in New Zealand were recently (2021) reclassified as nationally endangered. Hoiho are undergoing a serious continued decline in abundance, and are one of the most endangered penguin species in the world.
Hoiho numbers continue to decline despite current terrestrial conservation management efforts. Multiple threats affect hoiho in the marine and terrestrial environment and as the population declines it is likely to become less resilient to future impacts.
Read more about the hoiho and the efforts being made to protect them here.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is a not-for-profit conservation organisation, highly respected by the Minister of Conservation for its work in the preservation of the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. In 2016 the Trust was formally recognised as a Key Programme Partner both to the Department of Conservation and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu for its conservation work with hoiho.
https://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/
