Welcome to the NZPI February Newsletter. As we welcome Autumn and the 2024 breeding season winds down, we hope penguin groups will be enjoying a slower pace and some much-needed downtime. A few groups have been busy checking in on their last chicks and moulting adults are doing okay. The nationwide kororā diet study is well underway with more scat samples from different regions to be analysed, with frequent starvation cases reported over the past few years, we are really excited about this study! Recently there have been a few penguins in need of rescue around the Bay of Plenty, Auckland, Kaikoura and Banks Peninsula. A case of Aspergillosis combined with Avian Pox was found in a very unwell adult in Mount Maunganui. Reporting sick/injured/starving and dead penguins is vital towards helping our understanding of issues happening at sea, increasing disease awareness and human induced threats. Scanning rescued and dead penguins is also important in understanding the fate of marked individuals and is a valuable tool that aids conservation efforts. Looking forward to the Oamaru Penguin Symposium & NZPI Drop in Session coming up in May. Seaweek kicks off this Saturday (1st March) and is a great chance to really help kororā shine. Get out there and help people fall in love with our incredible taonga!

"It’s practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry"

- Joe Moore

If you have missed our previous newsletter editions, you can read them here Science & Advocacy - New Zealand Penguin Initiative

This data and analysis is submitted to the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, detailing the methods and results and what it means. Once it is published, it will be available for your reading pleasure.

Seasonal analysis will help us understand their diet throughout the annual cycle across the country as climate and ocean productivity change.

What does the process involve?

• Collection of a pea-sized amount of scat/poo from a nest box or burrow (ideally once each season from multiple colonies across the country to give a regional overview)

• Poo sample is mixed with water and pushed through a special filter

• The pre-filled filter is sent off to Wilderlab for eDNA analysis

• The list of prey species is then collated, interpreted and compared between locations and seasons.

• Results are less straight forward than you might think - fish taxonomy can be very confusing!

AIM: Publish results and inform marine conservation efforts to protect prey species and ensure future food availability for kororā colonies.

Huge thanks to our funders for supporting this important project and Hiltrun and Chris for devoting their time and wealth of knowledge to help us all understand more!

Rescue & Rehabilitation Case Studies

Starvation, Avian Pox + Aspergillosis in the Bay of Plenty

Thanks to Western Bay Wildlife Trust (WBWT), ARRC Wildlife Trust and Penguins Plus Ltd for taking action with sick and starving kororā in the Bay of Plenty, and for sharing case information with us to help raise wider awareness about unwell penguins.

Clinical Examination/Assessment:

• Pale feathers in need of moult

• Raspy breathing

• Multiple skin lesions over beak, flippers and feet

• Bright yellow faeces

• Alert and feisty

• Very poor body condition- Weight = 547 grams

Rehabilitation Plan with Western Bay Wildlife Trust

• Attempted to stabilise but sadly died within 24 hours

• Sent to Massey University for necropsy (animal autopsy) to investigate cause of death

Diagnosis:

• Aspergillosis- Fungal respiratory disease caused by Aspergillus sp. (fungi) that are found in the environment, such as soil and air. As with most diseases, individuals with a weakened immune system and/or experiencing stressful conditions are more susceptible when exposed to the fungi. Common symptoms are weight loss, lethargy, inappetence, wheezing, rasping, difficulty breathing.

• Avian Pox Virus- Viral disease that causes wart-like lesions around the beak, flippers, cloaca, feet, and eyes. Lesions can lead to secondary bacterial infections.

The pox lesions would have affected waterproofing and walking, causing a decrease in body condition, which led to a compromised immune system and predisposed the bird to developing a fungal infection.

Click here to watch a short video on our Facebook Page: Aspergillosis/Avian Pox Penguin Symptoms

A huge thank you to the team at Massey University for supporting kororā groups with mortality research.

Clinical Examination/Assessment:

• Bright and alert

• Very thin- Weight = 400 grams

• Observed over 24 hours bird exhibited pain and restricted movement in one leg/hip.

• Taken to Auckland Zoo for further assessment, with x-rays results clear and soft tissue injury diagnosed.

Rehabilitation Plan with Penguins Plus Ltd:

• Gain weight and allow time for injury to heal, regular feeds and swimming increasing in duration to regain muscle strength.

• Prescribed anti-fungal medication daily and an anti-inflammatory for pain/inflammation.

Current Status:

• Weight gain as expected, was quite fast at first but has now plateaued and steadily increasing in small increments. Current weight is at 795 grams.

• Leg has healed nicely with no signs of pain and moves well.

• Eating well and swimming for extended periods of time- particularly loves a swim at dusk and waterproofing is looking really good.

• A very curious penguin that needs lots of environmental enrichment.

• Expected to gain slightly more weight and can hopefully be released very soon!

Bessy will be marked with a microchip so the team at Western Bay Wildlife Trust can see if she shows up in their colony one day soon…or perhaps she’ll move along the coast further…. Good Luck Bessy!

Scanning Rescued/Dead Kororā & Reporting Sightings

Lots of our groups across the country have recently received a small hand-held scanner to check any sick/injured or dead kororā that wash ashore for a PIT-TAG/Microchip. This information helps contribute to understanding outcomes of individuals, which can help inform conservation management of colonies. NZPI groups that will be using the new app, will be able to record sightings on the new monitoring app. 

We encourage sightings of kororā to be reported to your local penguin conservation group and upload a record to iNaturalist NZ. The sooner the penguin is reported, the more likely a group will be able to check if it is marked and investigate what may have happened. Instructions can be found here: Add an observation · iNaturalist NZ

Public can also let us know at admin@nzpi.nz and we can assist with uploading and passing on information to the nearest group.

The Oamaru Penguin Symposium is a biennial meeting hosted by The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony attended by researchers, volunteers, field workers, students and rehabilitators from all types of organisations. This year it will be held Thursday 1st - Friday 2nd May 2025 at the Oamaru Opera House. You can register to attend here: REGISTER | 2025

We are organising an informal drop-in session the day before (Wednesday 30th April) the symposium for any NZPI groups or those wanting to know more about the national monitoring programme. We will be demonstrating the new penguin monitoring app and available to discuss nest boxes, monitoring methods, basic rescue/rehab techniques and go over any queries/concerns. Please let Community Programme Manager Melissa know if you are interested in attending: melissa.mcluskie@nzpi.nz