“Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.” – Winston Churchill
I watch in mild trepidation as an endemic and classified ‘Endangered’ yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho pair explore alternative pathways up the steep hillside to their nests; then resort to weaving past an endemic and endangered New Zealand sea lion/pakake catching up on sleep, to their preferred pathway. On mainland Aotearoa New Zealand, sea lions primarily eat fish – barracouta and jack mackerel; however, they have been known to occasionally predate on penguins.
Photo: Sian Mair. Taken from a safe distance and zoomed in on.