Yellow-eyed Penguin

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is the only existing member of the Megadyptes genus. It is the rarest penguin in the world. The species is currently in danger (IUCN Conservation Status - EN) and is considered threatened by the (DOC) Department Of Conservation.
Up until the mid second millennium, the Yellow-eyed Penguins were confined to the Auckland and Campbell Islands, while the continent was occupied by the Waitaha Penguins. A smaller form (the Richdale M. antipodes richdalei Penguin) lived on the Chatham Islands. It is believed the Waitaha and Richdale Penguins were hunted to extinction. The disappearance of the Waitaha Penguin allowed the Yellow-eyed Penguin to colonize the South Island late, facilitated by the disappearance of large marine mammals brought on by humans.
On land, habitat loss and fragmentation, predation, disease, human disturbances, thermal stress and hypothermia are reducing reproductive success.
Predation of chicks by introduced land mammals, hedgehogs, ferrets and ermines, is certainly the most important negative factor. The adults are not afraid of exogenous terrestrial predators, with the exception of dogs. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is also sensitive to human disturbances. Disruption by tourists results in reduced reproductive success. A lower chick weight at emancipation decreases the survival rate in the first year. When at sea, they are preyed on by sharks, barracuda and New Zealand Fur Seals.
Adults and chicks perish periodically from disease. In 1990, there was a large mortality of adults, and in more recent breeding seasons, chicks from mainland sites have been affected by a disease described as pharyngo-cutaneous stomatitis.Nothing indicates that industrial or recreational fishing directly reduces prey availability for Yellow-eyed Penguins, however they can be trapped in coastal fixed nets. There can also be a marked inter-annual variation in the resource. Years of scarcity are marked by reduced breeding attempts, slow chick growth, higher mortality in chicks before fledging, lower weight of juveniles, and lower survival of juveniles and adults.
Protection and habitat restoration, including control of predators, is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, as well as by private landholders. There is regulated seasonal tourist presence in Yellow-eyed Penguin nesting areas on Enderby Island, in the Auckland Islands group, with adapted signage, as well as commercial nature tourism in private lands and reserves administered by the DOC.
Under DOC authority, privately funded rehabilitation centres serve as collection points for sick, injured or orphaned penguins. They also act as care and monitoring centres for managing epidemic periods.