A mother penguin has lost both her chicks after a property owner reportedly removed the protected family from their nest, despite being warned it was illegal to disturb them during breeding season.
Wildlife carers say the tragedy was entirely avoidable.
Penguin Rehab and Release said the man called about penguins nesting on his property but saw them as a “nuisance”.
He was given advice about the protected status of penguins and told not to interfere but chose not to follow it, the group said.
The man then removed a mother and her two one-day-old chicks from their nest, according to the rescue group.
“It appeared that something akin to a shovel had been used to scoop up the penguins and their entire nest and surrounding debris and tipped it into the box,” they said.
The family arrived in a box with inadequate ventilation, mixed with rubbish.
“That decision placed all three lives in immediate danger,” the group said.
Little penguins are protected under Tasmania’s Nature Conservation Act 2002 and it is an offence to disturb, injure or kill them.
When carers received the family, the mother was extremely distressed and had stopped warming her babies.
The tiny chicks were cooling rapidly. One was so weak it appeared dead.
Despite everything carers did to save them, the larger chick died unexpectedly after three days.
The mother’s grief was immediate and devastating.
“She became extremely distressed, stopped keeping the remaining chick warm and attempted to escape the hospital box,” the group said.
With the mother unable to cope, carers released her back to the wild and continued hand-raising the surviving chick.
A week later, that baby died too.
“This mother penguin was attentive, experienced and fully capable of raising two healthy chicks if she had been left undisturbed,” the group said.
The group shared a contrasting story of another property owner who, despite initial frustration, chose to leave nesting penguins alone.
“It is possible to live alongside penguins responsibly. A little patience, respect and understanding can mean the difference between healthy chicks fledging successfully and lives being lost,” the group said.
“This can mean the difference between not just individuals surviving, but colonies surviving.”
