Aussie locals call for tourist ban on popular island
Residents in Western Australia are urging the government to put a ban on tourists travelling to a popular island near Perth to help protect a dwindling little penguin population.
Penguin Island is located about 53km south of Perth and is home to 114 little penguins, a decline in the bird’s population by 94 per cent since 2007.
Save Rockingham’s Little Penguins activist Dawn Jecks said while climate change has made an impact on the dwindling number of penguins in the area, over tourism has also affected the penguins' habitat.
“It’s essentially open slather in terms of visitors accessing the areas where the penguins try to cool off,” she said.
“There’s nowhere on the beach they can go where they’re not going to be hounded, touched or picked up by visitors."
Ms Jecks said about 25 per cent of little penguin deaths occurred by boat strikes with the area seeing an increase of watercraft in recent years.
"They need to close down the island for a few years to let the population recover,” she said.
Ms Jecks is one of many campaigning for the government to ban recreational boating and tourism on the island, saying it would be shameful if authorities did not act to save the little penguins in an area where the creatures were part of the city of Rockingham’s cultural identity.
“How stupid is it going to look when we have Penguin Rd, penguins on the entry sign to Rockingham, penguins on the city’s coat of arms and penguins on the kid’s school jumpers but no penguins,” she said.
A WA government spokesman said Penguin Island was an iconic part of WA, and the government was committed to supporting its penguin population.
“The health and wellbeing of the penguins will always be the state government’s top priority when it comes to planning for the island," the spokesman said.
“Tourism, however, also plays an important role on the island by educating visitors about the penguins and promoting enjoyment of our State’s natural environment.”
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