A new $96,000 barrier along Tasmania’s Bass Highway is set to save little penguins from becoming roadkill after years of heartbreaking losses at Lillico Beach.
The Friends of Lillico Penguins have swapped out a crumbling 26-year-old fence for a taller, bright blue barrier that now stretches 2km between Don and Leith.
The upgrade comes after reports of up to 20 penguins being killed on the road each year.
The group said the old fence had turned into a death trap, with gaps and damage that allowed the protected seabirds to wander onto the highway.
“This is great news for the upcoming and future penguin breeding season,” the group said.
“The fence will stop penguins waddling onto the highway and in harms way of car strikes.”
Locals have long raised concerns, with the organisation receiving frequent calls from people distressed about penguins on the road or finding dead birds along the route.
The project was funded through Wildcare Tasmania’s Nature Conservation Fund, with extra backing from the Peter Nelson Foundation, WIRES Australia and Botanical Resources Australia.
The new barrier is anchored securely to stop animals burrowing underneath and its design blocks penguins from slipping through.
Crews have also cleared vegetation and debris that could help wildlife climb over.
“Please note that other wildlife still use the highway and its shoulders as habitat and a corridor, so reducing vehicle speed between dusk and dawn and always appreciated,” the group said.
