Climate change blamed for Penguin Island wildlife loss amid calls to shut tourists out

Photo courtesy of ABC News: West Matteeussen

Conservationists are calling for Penguin Island to be closed to visitors to allow the dwindling little penguin population to recover, but the state government insists the decline is due to climate change and not tourism.

The island, a 10-minute ferry ride from Rockingham, south of Perth, teems with over a hundred species, big and small, but the little penguins have always been the main drawcard.

The colony has dropped by 94 per cent since 2007, leaving an estimated 114 on the island.

Scientists have cited climate change, human activity and migration patterns as driving factors in the population’s decline.

Following the closure of the Penguin Island Discovery Centre in 2023, the tourism industry has been calling for a new facility on the mainland to accommodate demand.

Chad D’Souza from Perth Wildlife Encounters believes it could be the answer to sustainable tourism.

“Otherwise people will take animals and start touching them, and they won’t do it in the right, respectful way,” Mr D’Souza said.