How Dogs Saved the World's Smallest Penguin | Back from the Brink

Just off the coast of Warrnambool city, Australia’s Middle Island is home to some very unique residents. Not only is the little penguin the world’s smallest penguin, but this colony was at the center of a world first in conservation. When foxes hunted the 800-strong population nearly to extinction, help was at hand from an unexpected source. Find out how a local farmer and a team of highly trained Maremma dogs brought Middle Island’s little penguins back from the brink. Inspired? Learn more about the Middle Island Penguin Project and the pioneering work being done by Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare:
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Special thanks to:
Lillian Maher
The Middle Island Project Team
Warrnambool City Council
Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network
Bwr photography


🔗 Research sources:
Middle Island project Report 2021-2022
Middle Island project Report 2020-2021
Middle Island project Report 2019-2020
Middle Island project Report 2018-2019
Middle Island project Report 2017-2018
Middle Island project Report 2016-2017
Middle Island project Report 2015-2016
Middle Island project Report 2014-2015

#terramatters #dogs #penguins #Australia

[terramater]

The Middle Island Project is a great success! 😍🐾🐧
Dogs & humans are doing an amazing job and we hope that they can continue their conservation work for many more years!
👉🏼You can support the unique project here:

[--]

Thank you for convincing me that dogs and little penguins deserve to inherit the earth because of how unbelievably fascinating and adorable they are together

[stevebennett]

I've known dogs guard sheep and other livestock from predators but never imagined they would b protecting tiny Lil penguins. Thank you Terra Mater for another great video.

[Scrinwaipwr]

Such cute little dinosaurs. Cute doggies too. Even the foxes are cute.

[richardjohnson]

what a great result for the penguins, and the Dogs are Beautiful.

[Cleeon]

Some dogs, really proves themselves as profesional guardian along human history.
Ooh, I'll going to rent and watching that movie, thanks for the info

[JohnHoodLosAngeles]

What an absolute smile of a story - thanks ever so much!

[zagrosqazy]

Thats not a normal human these type of humans are legends and the only reason why humanity as we know it exists and anything good .

[robertlipka]

Always thought that DOG is the highest form of life on Earth 😍I want to understand one part, did the entire penguin population recover from just four survivors?

[blunzengrostl]

great needed some good news today! and some to see some cute doggos can never hurt :)

[mysubjectbiology]

Very good natural idea to conserve a species.

[narayanaraoindla]

God bless you & little penguins in the island& and the dogs who r taking care of them. Exlent presentation

[TheyCallMeNewb]

I am moved by these dogs. Most remarkable.

[sassa]

This is a really interesting video! So cute.

[richardlilley]

Beautiful that man has some good ideas that benefit nature

[Voevoden]

You forgot one very important point ... How do we help this movement? I like Foxes too though ;P

[nicosmind]

Good job they removed the signs before introducing the dogs. Dogs respect signs and would not want to break the law

[danifernandez]

Great video! Would you happen to know if they need extra hands? 🤪

[Attila]

Why do we humans only start acting when it's already almost too late? I mean only 4 out of 800 penguins survived when someone finally start to do something. And wouldn't there be genetic problems when only 4 individuals left to reproduce?

[kurotsuki]

I wonder if they could be used to incresse the penguin range