Message from us

The Penguin Foundation was established to protect and preserve one of Australia’s most important natural assets – the Little Penguins.

Every cent raised by the Foundation goes directly to projects supporting the Little Penguins of Phillip Island. It also has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and all contributions are fully tax deductible.

For more information about the Phillip Island Penguin Foundation visit:

penguinfoundation.org.au or phone:

(+61 3) 5951 2800

The Penguin Foundation

It is now the middle of the summer season for the little penguins of Phillip Island. In this edition we share some stories about some penguins from the colony and update you on the research and rehabilitation projects that the Penguin Foundation is helping to fund.

We introduce you to the newest Penguin Foundation ambassador, Master Chef Australia judge, George Calombaris, and update the latest news in the penguin colony and at the new Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Read on to hear about the heart- warming story of some jumpers from Germany and the little penguin pop quiz is back to test your penguin knowledge. Enjoy!

Warm regards from Phillip Island, The Penguin Foundation team

info@penguins.org.au www.penguinfoundation.org.au

Penguin update and research news• Penguin numbers crossing the parade

beach were comparable with numbers in the last few years.

• Breeding season started early this season and progressed through the stages of incubation, guard (when at least one parent remains in the burrow with chicks) and post-guard (when chicks can be left in the burrow alone while both parents go to sea to find fish). By the end of November most successful adults were tending post-guard stage chicks and some chicks had

fledged. Some penguin couples are now having their second clutch.

• Following the drop below average at the end of October, penguin weights recovered to average for most of November. They again dropped below average at the end of the month.

• Diet sampling at the end of November showed penguins were feeding on very young fish and squid – not the best type of food to feed their chicks but it seems enough to keep chicks going. One interesting fact was to find one penguin which ate jellyfish!

• Currently, the little penguins are finding their fish further out to sea, which makes for hard work to return to feed the family!

Penguin Foundation Summer 2013

www.penguinfoundation.org.au

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre update

Penguin Foundation Ambassadors

A female little penguin was recently released after a stay in the rehabilitation centre. She had a swollen foot, which was caused by a bone infection so the foot had to be amputated. She soon got used to her stump and enjoyed swimming in the rehabilitation centre recovery pool, making a speedy recovery. Rangers regularly see healthy one footed penguins crossing the beach.

While undertaking some regular field work on the Summerlands Peninsula, a research scientist found a penguin outside its burrow with a badly swollen eye. Initial thoughts weren’t hopeful as penguins need perfect vision to survive. On further inspection we noticed that a large grass seed (introduced grass species) was lodged in the eye. We removed the seed, treated his eye and the penguin made a full recovery. The same scientist who initially found the penguin, encountered him breeding again in her study site (thanks to microchips!).

Vale Bryce Courtenay. On behalf of the Penguin Foundation and all its members, we would like to express our sincere condolences to Bryce Courtenay’s family and friends following his recent passing.

As an ambassador of the Penguin Foundation, Bryce supported the preservation of the Little Penguin colony of Phillip Island. He gave the Foundation the benefit of his world famous profile and his voice to help ensure the penguin’s future survival.

We are proud that Bryce was an ambassador for the Penguin Foundation and his presence will be missed. Bryce’s influence will continue to inspire future patrons of the Penguin Foundation.

George Calombaris, host of MasterChef Australia and acclaimed Melbourne restaurateur, has become the newest Ambassador for the Penguin Foundation - a charity dedicated to the protection of little penguins on Victoria’s Phillip Island.

Mr. Calombaris began his ambassadorship with a visit to Phillip Island to spend time in the field with researchers to check penguin boxes, meeting a few feathered locals on the way. He also built his own penguin box home to be used in the colony to encourage penguins back to areas of disturbed habitat.

Mr. Calombaris joins other famous Penguin Foundation ambassadors in helping protect little penguins, including Kylie Minogue, the Wiggles and David Suzuki.

Penguin Foundation Summer 2013

We just received delivery of more than 40,000 penguin jumpers knitted by people from all over Germany and other parts of Europe.

The jumpers are put on the penguins in the tragic event of an oil spill to prevent them preening and swallowing the toxic oil, and to keep them warm while they are waiting to be washed.

Many people and organisations worked to get the jumpers to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at no cost to the Penguin Foundation. We are deeply grateful to all volunteers and now have enough jumpers to support other little penguin colonies in the future. It shows how people of the world feel about helping wildlife and ready to do what they can for the little penguins.

A big thank you to Angelika Regenstein in Germany who collected and sent the jumpers, to Tomax Logistics for assisting with customs clearance, to AGS World Transport for arranging the shipping and MacGregor Logistics for transporting the jumpers to Phillip Island.

Penguin Foundation funds have provided for the purchase of Eonfusion software which is an exciting new way to visualize, interpret and present little penguin foraging behavior. A Tasmanian company wrote the software and it is now exported world-wide to researchers investigating animal movement, oceanography and physics. So far, the research department has been examining movements of little penguins that were satellite tracked from Phillip Island during (chick) guard and post-guard periods between 2005 and 2011 and the winter periods in 2008 to 2010.

The purchase of the software would not have been possible without the generous support of Penguin Foundation members and donators.

Jumpers from Germany

New Eonfusion Project funded by the Penguin Foundation interprets vital research

Penguin Foundation Summer 2013

www.penguinfoundation.org.au

Thank you to all little penguin adopters, individual donors and to the new and ongoing supporters of the Penguin Foundation:

• AAT Kings

• Abicor

• AGS World Transport

• Bank of Melbourne

• Ecobud

• Herbert Geer Associates

• Lewin Education Centre

• MacGregors Logistics

• Penguin Fund Japan

• Peregrine Adventures

• Phillip Island RSL

• Plumbers Now

• Ramada Resort Phillip Island

• Schweppes

• SITA Australia

• Tomax Logistics

• TS Constructions

Every dollar received from sponsors and supporters funds projects and programs approved by the Penguin Foundation. The little penguins need your help. We welcome enquiries and support from individual donors, groups and from the business community.

The Penguin Foundation

P.O. Box 97 Cowes Victoria 3922

Phone: + 61 3 5951 2800

Fax: + 61 3 5956 8394

A How many eyelids does each little penguin eye have?

B What colour are the little penguins feathers?

C How fast can a little penguin swim?

D How long does a little penguin stay out at sea?

Penguin pop quiz

Foundation Supporters

Answers

A 3

B Blue and white

C 12 kmph/7.5 mph

D a day or up to a month

The Penguin Foundation was established to protect and preserve one of Australia’s most important natural assets – the Little Penguins.

Every cent raised by the Foundation goes directly to projects supporting the Little Penguins of Phillip Island. It also has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and all contributions are fully tax deductible.

For more information about the Phillip Island Penguin Foundation visit:

penguinfoundation.org.au or phone:

(+61 3) 5951 2800

The Penguin Foundation

Penguin Foundation Summer 2013