Love Our Little Blues

Love Our Little Blue Penguins

Here at World Travellers we have a special relationship with New Zealand’s amazing little blue penguins/korora, the smallest penguin species in the world.

Our business owners, Larry and Linda, live in the magical Kaiteriteri area which is home to a bountiful population of little blues. But encroaching residential development is putting pressure on little blues, risking their safety and making their environment harder for them to successfully breed and live there. Their nationwide status is "at risk and declining" and they need our help.

So a few years ago, Larry and Linda embarked on a conservation project called “Love Our Little Blues”. They've been super busy with activities including:

Flash New Houses

Building and installing nesting boxes to keep little blues safer from predators during the breeding season. Larry has built over 30! With open plan layout, neutral decor and easy indoor/outdoor flow, these wee houses are a winning design.

Snapping Predators

Co-ordinating funding for traps and establishing traplines around the local bays to catch killer rats and stoats which prey on little blue eggs and chicks. So far over 100 rats snapped in DOC200 traps… and counting.

Beach Clean Ups

Community beach clean ups, in association with Sustainable Coastlines NZ, to keep local beaches free from litter which can harm little blues and other species. It's amazing what you find!

Penguins and Pooches

Lobbying local council for improved dog control bylaws to better protect the penguins from predation. Pooches and penguins don't go well together. Uncontrolled dogs sniffing around sandy dunes and rocky outcrops are very hazardous for penguins.

Counting Little Blues

Enabling research by successfully gaining DOC community funding for an inaugural scientific survey to establish baseline data of the local little blue population and distribution. The Kaikoura Ocean Research Institute (KORI) undertook the survey with the expert assistance of Mena, the penguin detection dog.

Little Blues Live Here!

Engaging with local community via social media, newspaper articles, presentations to interested groups and provisioning signage at relevant beaches to help raise awareness. Little blue penguins keep well hidden on land (for good reason!) so many people aren't aware of them.

Little Blue Ambulance Service

Providing little blue ambulance service to take injured and sick penguins to the local rehab centre for care. Once they are fit and well and pass their swim test they are released back into their local environment.