With nearly a dozen little blue penguin/kororā deaths along Wellington’s coast in recent months due to dog attacks, and a dog walker hearing the call of a male kiwi near the water reservoir at Tawatawa, dog/avian interactions are now a hot topic. It is timely that kororā aversion training had been developed that follows the same principals as kiwi aversion training.
SEA Chairperson, Annie Yeates, took her trusty side kick Poppy the fox terrier along to a penguin aversion training (PAT) session, so she could observe the process first hand. Annie also checks the traps along the south coast between Island and Ōwhiro Bay on behalf of the Forest & Bird project Places for Penguins and knows first-hand how close the little kororā nest to the footpath, and how easily they can be attacked by dog even on a long lead.
The penguin avoidance training is organised by Ross Gilmor. Ross helped to create the course after falling in love with kororā after they started nesting underneath his house in Eastbourne. Ross was very impressed with the training methods used by Willy Marsh for Kiwi Aversion Training and together they created a similar course for penguins.
For the PAT, Willy had set up a training course along the beach/dunes close to Queens Drive, Lyall Bay. There were real ‘stuffed penguins’ (Willy has a special DOC licence for handling the birds), penguin boxes and even penguin poop! Willy uses a vibrating collar, and importantly does not shock the dogs. Poppy only needed the collar on for the first three penguins, Willy knew that she had ‘got it’ at that point and the collar was taken off, and Poppy completed the training course lead free, giving all penguins and penguin boxes a very wide birth! The penguin poop however was still irresistible and very nearly rolled in!
If you are keen to know more or book your dog on a penguin avoidance training course ($40), contact Ross on: ross@penguinavoidance.org
The next kiwi aversion courses being run by Willy are being held at the Catchpool Community Centre & Emergency Hub on the Wainui Coast Road on the 9 & 10th November. Email kat@remutaka.nz if you are keen to enrol.
If you dog has already done penguin avoidance training, they don’t need to wear the collar again for the kiwi training.
As we learn to live with more and more native taonga as their numbers recover through efforts such as predator control, it is important we take responsibility for not only our actions, but those of our pets. Native birds and lizards have a right to live safely, without predation from our dogs and cats.
Poppy & trainer Willy at the start of the penguin avoidance course.
Very realistic setting for the training. Some of the penguins are on strings, moving the birds as the dogs walk by.
It worked! Poppy taking the long way ’round to avoid the penguin (to the left of the picture).
Tawatawa Reserve 