Protect NZ Penguins from H5N1 Bird Flu & Approve Vaccination:

Penguins are at high risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), due to dense breeding habits and behaviour, which allows the deadly H5N1 virus to spread rapidly from bird to bird. Past and ongoing outbreaks globally have demonstrated mass infection events and high mortality (75-100%) in penguin species.

As the majority of penguin populations are pressured by existing threats such as overfishing and climate change, H5N1 outbreaks pose a catastrophic threat to population viability regarding localised extinction risk, and long-term national extinction. Key colonies and highly threatened remnant populations under pressure from foraging impacts and starvation, will suffer devastating impacts without preventative action. Overseas, penguins are targeted as a priority species to preempt H5N1 mortality via vaccination programmes, due to being under threat of serious permanent loss.

In New Zealand, the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Ministry For Primary Industries (MPI) have failed to prepare effectively for the arrival of H5N1, which has been decimating wildlife populations in the northern hemisphere since 2020. MPI modeling is inadequate by international standards, whilst the DOC species prioritisation system is flawed and limited to threat classification, failing to incorporate multi-threat assessments for highly vulnerable populations already at risk of extinction, where vaccination is a critical and necessary tool to prevent total loss. With the virus now present in New Zealand, urgent action is critical.

Despite appeals to consider penguin vaccination approval, DOC and the Minister of Conservation have rejected vaccination requests - whilst providing no data on penguin modeling or methodology, and failing to undertake population level assessments. In severe scenarios such as H5N1 outbreaks, weighting should not be based on population size, but the vulnerability of populations. DOC's assessment criteria are flawed. Adequate systems used to inform conservation management, are not being applied for emergency use.

Species such as Little Penguins/Kororā and Yellow-Eyed Penguins/Hoihō reliably return to the same localities and colonies regarding high site fidelity, and are prime candidates for vaccination to achieve immunity. Opting not to prioritise species such as penguins that have a chance of recovery with H5N1 intervention, is a decision not to resource and will lead to unparalled loss.

As DOC's response is that Little Penguins/Kororā do not qualify as there are deemed to be “sufficient numbers” nationally, this poses a legitimate legal question on whether frameworks adequately protect important local populations before they suffer fragmentation beyond repair, catastrophic population loss, and localised extinctions.

The current response from DOC and MPI in regard to H5N1 despite known existing threats, equates to multi-system failure and serious shortcomings, resulting is a willful lack of intervention and breach of obligations.

Use Your Voice:  Help change the outcome to protect penguins, before it is too late.

https://www.kaikourawildlifetrust.org/birdflupenguins