A notoriously shy yellow-eyed penguin has wowed thousands of people and taken home New Zealand’s hotly contested title of Bird of the Year.
There was no competition for the hoiho which received a winning 6328 votes out of the 52,400 cast from around the world, organisers Forest and Bird NZ announced.
The penguin, which previously swooped up the title in 2019, beat the likes of the Karure Chatham Island black robin and the Kākāpō, which followed closely behind.
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The penguin was supported to victory by a campaign spearheaded by the Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin.
The museum partnered with local wildlife and environmental organisations, a rugby team and a brewery that even crafted a pale ale in honour of the “people’s penguin” to bring awareness to the penguin.
The campaign even attracted the support of Australia Zoo’s Terri Irwin.
“This is not just a win for the hoiho, but for the entire Dunedin community and the organisations working so hard to protect them,” Tūhura Otago Museum marketing manager Charlie Buchan said.
“It takes a village, and Dunedin has an amazingly supportive community that truly values its world-famous wildlife and landscapes.
“We worked really hard on this campaign for our awesome hoiho friends. We’re happy to fight for them and help them win.”
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The hoiho, whose Maori name means “noise shouter”, is notoriously shy despite its loud and shrill call.
It’s believed to be the world’s rarest penguin species and is unique to New Zealand.
However, the population is in decline with 78 per cent lost over 15 years and 18 per cent lost last year alone, according to the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust.
The penguin has been declared nationally endangered.
“Hoiho are being hammered from all angles. They suffer from horrible diseases like diphtheria and get attacked by dogs,” Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said.
“Tiny, vulnerable chicks are threatened by introduced predators like cats, stoats and ferrets that can wipe out an entire breeding site in a single season.”
“They’re drowning in set nets and can’t find enough food. Our hoiho urgently need marine protected areas to give them a shot at survival.”
The campaign and winning title have brought awareness to the penguin but wildlife and conservation groups hope this can lead to action to better protect the dying species.
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