Thanks to the generosity of our donors, $214,000 has been approved by the Penguin Foundation for a 3-year health research project with little penguins. Commencing in July 2024, this project will provide $71,633.34 per year to the University of Melbourne (UoM).

Recently, Jessica McKelson, General Manager Conservation at Phillip Island Nature Parks and Rosie Stott, Wildlife Ranger, visited Jasmin Hufschmid the project lead and Lee Skerrat at Melbourne Universities Vet School in Werribee to discuss the Passive Disease Research project.

Parameters and logistics for the project were established and will be adapted as the 3-year project goes on to get the best possible outcome. This project will provide the collaborating teams with a health data bank, giving us the knowledge and foresight to be able to best respond to new and emerging threats. The little penguin colony on Millowl has been identified as the largest colony of little penguins in the world and the information gained has the potential to play a vital role in securing the future of the species. The data collected will be used to assess current disease prevalence and to assess and further quantify disease risk. This data can be used to inform conversation actions beyond just Millowl and potentially as far as New Zealand.