Boronia Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) edited to add this ABC video of Eco at work http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-31/spaniel-enlisted-to-find-little-penguins/3611436 http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/spaniel-to-protect-endangered-little-penguins/story-e6freono-1226181162582 Spaniel to protect endangered Little Penguins by: By Lauren Farrow. From: AAP October 31, 2011 8:17AM AN English Springer Spaniel named Eco has the fate of hundreds in her hands. The hound has been trained to protect the last remaining Little Penguin colony on mainland New South Wales. She will sniff out the tiny endangered penguins - that stand about 30cm tall and weigh about 1kg when fully grown - as well as their biggest threats - foxes, dogs and cats. Today marks Eco's first official day at work at Manly, in Sydney's north. "I've trained her to passively respond when she detects a penguin burrow," her trainer Steve Austin said. "She first stops and stares at the area where the penguin has been detected and then she paws that area when asked 'show me'." "In contrast, when detecting foxes, Eco's response is very active whereby she vigorously digs the area when she detects a fox den." Mr Austin said it takes Eco one hour to cover an area that would take ten people four hours to monitor. National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) hope Eco will help them get a better understanding of the penguin's numbers so they can plan protective measures. "One of the challenging things about monitoring the Little Penguin population is determining the exact size of the colony and most importantly the breeding pairs," NPWS regional manager, Gary Dunnett said in a statement today. "Little Penguins are notoriously secretive, leaving for their fishing expeditions on night fall and returning in the pre-dawn light. "Eco will be used today to try and find nests we previously haven't known about which will allow us to monitor any adults and chicks and also to map where they are nesting against where the currently protected areas are." Currently, the only known mainland breeding colony in the state is in a secluded cove in the Manly area of Sydney Harbour, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage says. This colony, which once numbered in the hundreds now only has about 60 pairs of birds. It has been declared an endangered population. Edited October 31, 2011 by Boronia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinonthefarm Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have heard of dogs sniffing out cane toads on the WA NT border, great to hear of more dogs at work in the community. I wonder why they don't employ a guardian breed to actually protect the penguins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 every guardian type breed steve tried was too prey driven for the job... none of the livestock guardian breeds were suitable for the work required either, Eco is a lovely dog... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickasyoucan Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I'm surprised that, given that dogs have been the main predators of this colony causing a lot of deaths, they would use a predator in close proximity to the burrows in so much as isn't it likely to disturb/frighten the penguins? I thought one of the reasons for banning dogs and cats from the national parks was not only that they kill small mammals but that the scent they leave behind can disturb animals so much they stop mating, leave etc... On a side note, people who still persist in letting their dogs off leash in that area need to have the book thrown at them. There are plenty of places around Manly to walk your dog off leash you can still have an enjoyable walk with your dog on the foreshore with them on leash, why are people such idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) Eco is very likely a relative of my Em I would imagine ETA: Looking at that video I would say she's definitely related! Mad bugger Edited November 1, 2011 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 TSD when I saw her she made me think of Em, very cute! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 TSD when I saw her she made me think of Em, very norty! I know!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 TSD when I saw her she made me think of Em, very norty! I know!!! Insert laughing emoticon (On iPhone).... Mum goes 'That looks like a brunette Zora, only with half the legs' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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