Were it not for the dedication of entities like Penguin Place – conservation reserve, Forest & Bird – who own Te Rere Reserve, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and the Department of Conservation, there is a high probability that yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho would be extinct on mainland Aotearoa now.
Read on to learn what Jason from Penguin Place advises we do to contribute to hoiho conservation.
Q. Can you tell us about the biology of hoiho?
A. They can live about fifteen years. The official length of time is six years, considering juveniles have a high mortality rate. The oldest recorded hoiho is 27 years now, a female.
Q. How should people behave around hoiho?
A. Unfortunately, with the decline in their population, it is very unlikely to see them in the wild. The main incidence that occurs is dog bites; penguins come up on public beaches where people like to walk their dogs. Even the best trained dogs are natural hunters and see penguins as chew-toys. That is a big issue. If you are on a beach, particularly in southern New Zealand, please keep your dog on a lead always – even a long lead. Otherwise just give them space. Penguins see us as predators, and don’t want to interact with us, as much as we’d like to cuddle them.
But better than taking my or Jason’s word for it, book a tour at Penguin Place here: https://penguinplace.co.nz/tours/ and directly contribute to the mahi!
Photo: Hoiho by Sian Mair.