Mystery disease killing yellow-eyed penguin chicks
An unknown, pneumonia-like illness is killing yellow-eyed penguin chicks, and it could force bird rescuers to take drastic action in the next breeding season.
The yellow-eyed penguin, also known as hoiho, is one of the world’s rarest penguins, and is considered endangered with between 4000 and 5000 birds left nationally.
Dunedin’s Wildlife Hospital Trust manager Jordana Whyte said the disease was a respiratory infection, which presented like a type of pneumonia.
‘‘We don’t know what’s causing it, or if it’s infectious from chick to chick. It only seems to affect them at a vulnerable, young age ... once they’re old enough to weigh a kilo[gram], they’ve passed the danger zone.’’
The disease had only been diagnosed post-mortem so far, so Whyte did not know how many of the chicks they cared for had survived it.
She said they first noticed a few cases last summer, and decided it was something to keep an eye on. But the problem worsened, and the number of chicks dying from the illness this season had boomed.
‘‘It’s a real worry,’’ Whyte said. ‘‘We need to make a plan ... that could be pre-emptively pulling chicks out and hand-rearing them until they’re past that vulnerable stage. We don’t know yet, it’ll be DOC’s call.’’
Whyte said the trust’s vets had been doing their best to save the birds, but it was difficult without knowing what the illness was. ‘‘It’s frustrating, these penguins don’t need any more challenges.’’
The dead chicks would be sent to Massey University, so the mystery disease could be researched.
The latest figures from the Department of Conservation (DOC) found 177 breeding pairs on the mainland this season, up 10 overall.
South Island operations director Aaron Fleming said the results were mixed. In North Otago, nest numbers were up 15 per cent, but at Nugget Point in South Otago there were just two nests, down from four last summer.
Researchers on Stewart Island found just 39 nests this year, compared to 153 nests during the last survey in 2008.
The Government launched a five-year action plan in August to restore the yellow-eyed penguin population, in partnership with iwi, hoiho charities, and wildlife rehabilitation groups. The plan proposed investing more into researching diseases affecting the birds.