Mass penguin deaths in New Zealand a climate change ‘wake-up call’
Researchers warn of more mass deaths with rising sea temperatures and extreme weather
By Jamie Morton
Scores of dead little blue penguins that have washed up on northern New Zealand beaches this year probably died of starvation in extreme sea conditions, researchers say.
And they warn that climate change and its big storms could mean many more mass deaths of cherished bird and other vulnerable marine species.
Extreme weather, including several ex-tropical cyclones and record-hot sea surface temperatures, led to high numbers of reports of dead penguins washing up on beaches across the upper North Island.
The Department of Conservation’s Tauranga office has had an average of five calls a week since February, and Western Bay Wildlife Trust’s Julia Graham said the trust had 58 calls about dead penguins in two weeks.
“All of the penguins were dead, or died within a short time of arriving on land,” Graham said.