Penguin News Flash!

An open letter of thanks to Beliefnet users from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust.

The Tasmanian Conservation Trust would like to thank you for contributing to the immensely successful Penguin Jumpers project. We have collected over 3,100 jumpers (as of August 31st 2001). As well as every state of Australia, jumpers have come from as far afield as Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. Because we have received so many jumpers, we have been able to pass some on to authorities and conservation groups in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, where there are also colonies of Little penguins that are threatened by human impacts.

The generosity, enthusiasm and creativity of all participants has been a source of constant amazement to all here at the Trust. The stockpile of jumpers and the oil spill response kits that have been created are a reassuring guarantee for all the penguin colonies on mainland Tasmania. However, oil spills are not the only threat facing Little penguins. There is an ever increasing problem on Bruny Island, a small island in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel in southern Tasmania. Accessible only by ferry, Bruny Island is a popular tourist destination due to its rugged natural beauty and astonishing diversity of wildlife, which includes several thousand Little penguins. Trust supporter Dr. Tonia Cochrane had this to say about Bruny Island and its penguins:

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