The world's rarest penguin found only in New Zealand has a new
haven thanks to DOC and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust.
A wildlife reserve has been opened in South Otago to protect the
bird.
The yellow-eyed penguin is so rare that there are fewer than 500 breeding pairs left in the world.
Now, 50 hectares of land along a South Otago coastline has been secured to ensure the birds' future.
"I'll be bringing my grandchildren here to have a look, and know that they'll come back and bring their children. And they'll see that some people made a line in the sand for NZ, love this country, and away they went," says Environment Minister Steve Chadwick.
The coastline is home to nearly 50 breeding pairs of yellow-eyes, which make up nearly 10% of all the yellow-eyed penguins on mainland NZ.
The land, which will in time be open to the public, was bought by the Department of Conservation and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust from a local farmer.
"When you're a farmer you're just a custodian of the land for the next generation and this coastline is pretty special," says Max Affleck, a farmer.
"There's a lot of work to do here&this is a very big project
ahead, but I can see with their enthusiasm they'll do it," Chadwick
says.
"This is a huge step for the trust. The work that we want to do
here will also help other species, it's not just about the
yellow-eyed penguin though they of course are our icon species,"
says Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust spokesperson Sue Murray.
