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Wellington's Little Blue Penguins; Council Grants Fund Penguin Housing
Topic Started: Feb 25 2008, 07:37 PM (99 Views)
Kahu
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Council Grants Fund Penguin Housing
22.02.08

Wellington's struggling Little Blue Penguin population is receiving much needed help thanks to a Council funded initiative called Places for Penguins.

The penguin population has experienced a steady decline as a result of predation and habitat destruction. The Places for Penguins project received a $5000 grant to help make Wellington's coastal areas more penguin-friendly. The project involves the construction of wooden nest boxes that protect the penguins from cats and dogs. The boxes also make breeding and nesting easier.

Grants Sub-committee Chair Councillor Hayley Wain believes the penguins will readily adopt the nest-boxes.

"The use of nest-boxes in an Oamuru project brought about a dramatic increase in the Otago penguin population. We hope to see similar results in Wellington."

The ‘Places for Penguins' initiative is just one of many community projects to receive funding from the second round of the Council's general grants.

Cr Wain says Wellington City Council has allocated grants to a wide variety of projects.

"We have approved funding for projects that will be of great benefit to Wellington. The projects range from the printing of Wellington Rape Crisis information booklets, to the development of a sustainable energy advice centre."

The deadline for the applications for the third round of Council grants is fast approaching. Funding is available for not-for-profit community groups and organisations undertaking projects that benefit the city socially, culturally, economically or environmentally.

Applications for the grants close at
5.00pm, Monday 31 March 2008.

For more information about grants, including a grants calendar, application forms, seminar dates, past allocations and guides to completing your application, visit www.wellington.govt.nz or phone the Council on (04) 499 4444.


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agate
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Is this the one that makes it home under peoples homes?

http://re.milford.k12.de.us/classroom/ckni...luepenguins.htm
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Kahu
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Yes they can do.....

In most coastal areas around Wellington there's a road between where the houses are and the beach....crossing a busy road is just another hazard the Little Blues have to do. The Department of the Environment and the Department of Conservation (DOE) and (DOC) are creating nesting areas where they don't have to cross roads or come into close contact with humans - and there is some protection from the threat of introduced dogs, cats, stoats ferrets etc.

Little Blue Penguins may seem cute, but they're noisy and smelly.......so you really don't want them close to your house, let alone underneath it!

Wellington's coastline is quite long and there are remote, difficult areas to get into.... New Zealand Fur Seals (similar species to Californian Fur Seals) also live in this area, and if you're walking in these areas you need to be aware of their presence....mind you, you generally can smell them before you see them!

We occasionally get visits from Sea Lions, Sea Elephants, and Sea Leopards too which normally are found much further south towards Antarctica. One young bull sea elephant, nicknamed Blossom, was a regular visitor, over 4 years to Wellington's Oriental Bay, and claimed a portion of the esplanade as his place, right by the public conveniences!

Most of the wildlife is shy of humans but not sea leopards (they have an eel like head, huge gape, and dark grey mottled leopard fur skin).... they will charge humans.
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