Warrnambool's Little Penguin Colony and Maremma Dog Project Face Uncertain Future

Fears are growing for the survival of Warrnambool's little penguin colony and the famous Maremma guardian dog project that has protected them for 20 years.

The project's success, featured in the 2015 children's film Oddball and known as The Warrnambool Method, has been diminishing in recent years due to safety concerns about erosion and deep waters surrounding Middle Island.

Project Background

The Maremma dog project was introduced in 2006 after foxes nearly hunted the penguin colony to extinction. By 2016, the population had recovered from less than 10 penguins to 200.

Trained Maremma sheep dogs, including Mezzo, Isola, and Oberon, once lived on the island for weeks during the little penguin breeding season. However, it has been two years since a dog has stayed the night.

Challenges Facing the Project

Dave Williams, who started the project with a friend as a university student, said he feared the colony was now more vulnerable to being wiped out. "I'd like to think that we'll always have penguins at Middle Island and it's something that Warrnambool can be proud of," Mr Williams said.

"When we started this, there was less than 10 penguins, this project is something that the community has supported and driven." "I think it'd be a terrible shame if we lost that."

Marine scientist and former Middle Island project coordinator Patricia Corbett said the channel around the island has been too deep to cross for population counts for years. "We know there are penguins on the island, but we really don't know how many," Dr Corbett said.

Environmental Threats

Dr Corbett said she was hopeful the channel's rough conditions would stop foxes from crossing to the island. However, she suspected similar pollution to that found in other colonies could harm the penguins.

"Whenever we have an increase in temperature above normal for five days or more, this can really stress the penguins," she said.

Future of the Project

Warrnambool City Council natural environment and sustainability coordinator Justin Harzmeyer said the council was not planning on purchasing new dogs to replace the current guardians as they age. However, they were looking into whether upgrades could continue the project in the future.

Dave Williams said remote monitoring would never be enough to truly understand the penguins' health. The sea country team have flown drones over the island since the outbreak of bird flu, and found a few dead birds.