Every year, hundreds of tourists visiting remote islands off the Tasmanian coast are enchanted by the site of little penguins – also known as fairy penguins – making their way across the sand dunes after dark towards their burrows.
But on Bruny Island, south of Hobart, visitors are just as likely to be confronted by the sight of tiny penguin carcasses littering the road.
The dirt road along the neck which connects the two islands that form Bruny is part of a corridor penguins use to make their way to their colonies. Conservationists claim about 50 penguins are hit by cars every week.
They say the future’s looking bleaker for the tiny bird, with a plan by the State Government to seal the road and increase the speed limit… Read Full Article By Sarah Bester