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New homes for Manly's penguins
By Andrew Foster
 
 

Our donors have raised an amazing $10,000 for the Fairy Penguin colony in Manly through this year’s penguin appeal.

Thanks to this generous support, 60 to 70 pairs of Fairy Penguins at Manly are going to be breeding in new nesting boxes this season, which started in July and will run through to late February next year. The Boxes need to be replaced quite frequently due to termites and the penguins’ own housekeeping.

Albert Mehr, the Swiss Consul General in Sydney also has a passion for Fairy Penguins and is doing something practical to help them.

He hit on an unusual and amusing idea to raise money for the Penguin Appeal of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. He and his wife Renate and friends in Sydney and Montreal went on a diet and asked their friends and colleagues to sponsor them for every pound lost. This “Swiss Sponsored Slimming” contributed $3,333 to the appeal.

“He is one of our most avid supporters. I have never come across anybody quite like him. The penguins in Manly are often a political issue, and it is really nice to get some positive support like this. We do appreciate his help a lot and it will make a big difference to our work for the penguins.” said Julie Bourne project officer for the Fairy Penguins. [As well as funding nesting boxes, the money will go towards Julie's project.]

Nick Cameron, Managing Director of Epic Surf Adventures is also a major supporter. Nick runs his business from Manly Wharf all year round and a percentage of every ticket sold goes to the Foundation for the protection of the Fairy Penguins.

“We often see the penguins on our tours around the Manly area, and I do what I can to help these precious animals and it would be a great shame for the community of Sydney to lose Manly’s Fairy Penguins.” Said Nick Cameron.

“We know that life in the city is tough for the Fairy Penguins of Sydney Harbour. However money given by our donors has made a difference and has given the unique creatures of Manly a chance for life” said Gillis Broinowski Chairman of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife.

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Foundation president Gillis Broinowski (left) accepts a cheque for $,3333 for the fairy penguins of Manly from Swiss Consul-General Albert Mehr. They are watched by NSW NPWS ranger Julie Bourne (centre) who has been looking after the colony for over three years.

Critical Habitat for the Fairy Penguins

There is more good news about the Manly penguins. On July 1 the area where they live became a “critical habitat.” This declaration means that boats are not permitted to anchor within 50 metres of the high-water mark near the colony. There is also no foreshore access for people at night and pets are now totally banned from the area.

'Critical habitat' is an area that is crucial to the survival of an endangered species, population or ecological community. This declaration is designed to help the penguins breed successfully and protect them from attacks by predators.

It is based on the biological requirements of the Fairy Penguin population and the potential impacts of known and suspected threats. The habitat includes the area which the penguins use to breed, feed and travel to their nests.