Tourists warned to stay away from holiday spot after massive 98 per cent decline in colony of little penguins

Tourists have been warned to keep away from little penguins on South Australia’s Granite Island after its fragile colony of tiny birds declined by 98 per cent. New research conducted by Flinders University revealed about 1600 adult little penguins inhabited the island 70km south of Adelaide two decades ago – but today only 30 remain. The island attracts about 800,000 visitors each year, with researchers finding intrusive human interactions affected the way little penguins behaved. Researchers observed the tiny animals could act bolder and more aggressive when humans were about. Flinders University researchers have been observing the little penguins and gathered thousands of hours of footage over several breeding seasons to study the penguins parenting behaviours. Flinders University senior lecturer Diane Colombelli-Négrel said the footage provided a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the unseen world of these vulnerable birds. “As the summer holidays approach, we urge the public to stay away from the Granite Island penguin nests, and help save these animals by reporting dangers to their habitat,” she told Yahoo News Australia. “Urban developments and human activities are encroaching on our natural habitats at a rapidly increasing rate, placing many species under stress from anthropogenic disturbance. Little penguins are the world’s smallest penguin species and are found in coastal waters in Tasmania and southern Australia. Researchers found off-leash dogs, bikes and people wandering or searching for penguins with torches could disturb the colony. This is in addition to predators such as fur seals and foxes, changing environmental conditions and declining fish numbers. Ms Colombelli-Negrel said it was important for scientists to monitor and study this little penguin colony, to observe their behaviours and stop their numbers from declining. She said they intended to keep monitoring the birds to see how human disturbance affected the penguins.