Presentation from Alison Chick of the South Island Wildlife Hospital
Thursday 13 March, 6 - 7 pm
The South Island Wildlife Hospital is a non-profit facility that treats our sick and injured native wildlife. Alison will talk about seabirds, the threats that cause them to end up in the Hospital, and how we can create a safer environment for our native fauna.
The Department of Conservation have said that without serious intervention, the hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin (the pride of our $5 note and winner of the 2024 Bird of the Year) could become extinct on mainland New Zealand within two decades. We can do our part, though!
Alison will touch on some of the practical changes we can make to create a safer environment for our seabirds (and ourselves!), including preventing plastics ending up in our oceans and being responsible pet owners. Alison will also share pictures and stories of some of the amazing work they do at the Hospital in treating, rehabilitating, and releasing native birds.
Beyond the hoiho and other penguins, you can expect to hear about everything from seagulls to a particularly inspiring success story of an injured Antipodean albatross named Pōkākā (meaning Storm in Māori). As always, we’ll make sure there is plenty of time at the end to take questions from the audience.
