On Track for a Record Hoiho Chick Season

We are exactly halfway through November, and the Hospital has already admitted 135 fluffy hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin chicks - nearly as many as we cared for in the entire 2022 breeding season…and we’re still going…

Hoiho are a penguin species only found in Aotearoa New Zealand, and face a raft of challenges. Most chicks are uplifted at around 3 days of age by conservation rangers working for DOC, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, Penguin Rescue and the OPERA. This is largely a preventive measure, as we expect each chick to develop a bacterial infection called avian diphtheria, which we can treat in the Hospital successfully within a few days. 

Most afternoons we have a queue of rangers dropping off chicks to be admitted, and every day we’ve been averaging 70 chicks in our care. We sure love seeing the same rangers in the morning hours when they collect chicks for discharge back into their wild nests! 

It’s a massively busy time for our team, and we’ve recruited some experienced helpers from Auckland Zoo, Wellington Zoo, Kelly Tarltons, the Brisbane RSPCA Wildlife Hospital, Raglan Native Rehabilitation and the National Aquarium, plus vets and vet nurses coming in from across the country! 

We’re expecting to receive nearly 100% of the chicks hatched on mainland New Zealand this season. If we’re able to replicate our 92% success rate - or better - from last season, the giant collective effort will be with it.

If you’re able to help support us with a donation to go towards the care of these precious chicks, please head over to our donation page. We appreciate any help you’re able to provide.