Amongst the hustle and bustle of Australia’s biggest city, a group of charming and unusual locals have set up home in the popular suburb of Manly.
The Manly colony of Little Penguins in Sydney Harbour is the only mainland breeding colony left in New South Wales. All other penguin colonies are restricted to offshore islands because of the presence of introduced predators. As a result, this special and unique colony was listed as an endangered population in the 1990s.
During June, a fox discovered this colony and devastated the population of Little Penguins at Manly. In just over two weeks, 27 helpless Little Penguins were killed by the fox.
Foxes continue to have a devastating impact on Australia’s native animals ever since they were introduced in the early 1800s. Predators such as foxes, cats and dogs are the reason why this is the only mainland breeding colony of Little Penguins left on the New South Wales coast.
In response to these gruesome discoveries, a special team of field officers, NPWS rangers, experts and volunteers are keeping watch on the nesting penguins day and night, to protect them from further attacks. At the same time an operation to trap the cunning creature continues. Although there have been no sightings of foxes on North Head for the past few weeks, the vigil continues!
Foxes are a huge threat to our native fauna and it is highly likely that other foxes in the future will attempt a similar attack.
This is why we need your assistance, to help the volunteers and NPWS monitor and protect Manly’s Little Penguins from any future attacks and to help rebuild their endangered colony.
In order to outfox the fox, more specialised equipment is needed as well as additional nest boxes.
Here are some of the items FNPW are fundraising for:
Your donation will directly assist this endangered colony. The high-tech monitoring equipment will offer better protection against future attacks.
To say thank you for your generosity, FNPW has gathered together some amazing incentives from generous donors.
Depending on your donation you can choose from specially designed stickers from FNPW Ambassador Julie Patterson, an informative factsheet about the colony, a hand written photographic card from our CEO Susanna Bradshaw, a beautiful signed story book about the penguin colony, a signed copy of Cloth by Julie Patterson for any aspiring artists or textile lovers, a cuddly penguin toy, an amazing wildlife photography weekend with Steve Parish, or a guided tour of the penguin colony with a boat trip and a delicious lunch.
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has a long history of supporting the endangered colony of penguins in Manly. Since 1999 the Foundation has been helping fund equipment for volunteer wardens, nest boxes, signage to warn people about the presence of these vulnerable birds, and much more.
FNPW working in partnership with the local NPWS rangers, Taronga Zoo, Manly Council, Manly Environment Centre and the Office of Environment & Heritage has helped keep the Little Penguins in Manly safe up until now. Will you help protect the Little Penguin’s future so they can still call Manly home?
For more information visit: www.fnpw.org.au
All donations that do not receive a perk WILL receive a tax deductible receipt.