100 hoiho chicks cared for at Wildlife Hospital, Dunedin

Wildlife Hospital staff, rangers and volunteers have been working day and night to care for 100 yellow-eyed penguin chicks since the beginning of this month.

Hoiho chicks began hatching in Otago and Southland in late October, and the hospital had seen patients with diphtheria stomatitis (an infection that can cause respiratory problems) in waves since then.

Hospital director Jordana Whyte said the hoiho chicks weighed between 120 and 150 g.

“These little birds are so small, only a handful, so they mostly eat, defecate and sleep, like most babies.”

They were brought in by field teams from the Department of Conservation, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, Penguin Place, Penguin Rescue, and University of Otago researchers and volunteers who had been in “all climates.”

“Our team of vets and assistants are speechless,” Whyte said.

During care, brood units were used to keep them warm and maintain a humidity similar to what they would experience in their nest.

They also gave them toys to hug each other, the way they would snuggle with a parent, she said.

“Sometimes we see the chicks trying to beg for food from the teddy bears, so he’s working at least a little bit to trick them.”

But his diet was not pretty.

The hospital staff fed the chicks a “fish slurry”, which was a mixture of sardines, white fish, salmon and some liquid nutrients, up to five times a day.

“Thank goodness for the volunteers with strong stomachs,” Whyte said.

While some chicks could be treated in their nest, rangers would ask the question of which penguins should be cared for.

This year, most required extra care because some of the parents were first-time or inexperienced breeders and their chicks had not thrived as a result, he said.

“There are some who come to us with respiratory distress, the cause of which we are still investigating.”

While the work can be rewarding, it was hard and heartbreaking at times, Whyte said.

But more than 40 of the chicks had already been returned home, which was a “great result.”

“We hope that most of the patients we have now will also be cleared to go home soon.”