Protection

Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony protects the penguins as much as possible when they are on land. The biggest threats to blue penguins on land are animals introduced by people that have now become predators to the penguins. These include dogs, ferrets, stoats, weasels and rats. At Oamaru we keep unrestrained dogs out and have a trapping programme to eradicate the other predators.

People driving in their cars need to watch out for penguins at night, as although the penguins are a little clumsy on land they can dart out in front of cars. Being accidentally hit by cars is the most common reason penguins are killed on land in Oamaru.

We do not allow photography, or filming at the colony. The bright lights of flashes (and there is always a few people who do not switch their flashes off) can frighten penguins away back to sea. This is bad for very hungry chicks!

At sea there is nothing we can do to assist our penguins. They are out there on their own, literally. As they come ashore in the evening they gather together and approach in groups. We assume this offers them some protection against being picked off by predators which include sharks, sea lions, killer whales and leopard seals.