Yellow-eyed penguins are under attack from biting barracuda and sharks but an expert wildlife vet based in the region is on hand to help.
Otago and Southland's penguins are getting the royal treatment from Wellington Zoo's wildlife vet Lisa Argilla, who the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust has contracted for six weeks.
Five penguins have recently been maimed by suspected barracuda and shark attacks with concerns the high injury rates from 2015 might be repeated.
Dr Argilla has operated on the five injured penguins already. If the birds are injured before they moult their chance of survival is slim without early intervention and rehabilitation.
Now she is based in Dunedin, it meant the birds didn't have to be transported on a 4-5 hour flight to the North Island for treatment.
Rehabilitation has been a key tool for conservation of yellow-eyed penguins. It involves a short stay in captivity to regain strength and heal before being released back to the wild.
In 2014, more than 10 percent of Otago and Southland's yellow-eyed penguin nests contained an adult penguin that had received rehabilitation of some kind.
"These birds have had a rough four years and each individual is important to survival of the whole population," Trust manager Sue Murray says.
As well as barracuda attacks, the penguin population has been affected by events such as outbreaks of avian diphtheria in chicks, an unexplained mass mortality and widespread starvation. This season, numbers reached their lowest since 1990.
Otago Polytechnic has given Dr Argilla use of their vet hospital facilities and she will reciprocate by up-skilling students on wildlife vet nursing, which she has eight years' experience in. St Kilda Vets have also loaned their hospital and x-ray facilities.
Newshub.
