Thread by @SharronWardTV

Since coming back to beautiful #Aotearoa, I’ve been ridiculously busy working on an exciting new focus - making films on #conservation, #wildlife & the #climatecrisis. During the #NZ summer I’ve had the privilege of filming in the stunning #OtagoPeninsula ... #Thread

... in the wildlife capital of #NZ – #Dunedin (Otepoti). I’m totally blown away by the depth & breadth of the #conservation work happening all over #Aotearoa, especially to help save NZ’s endemic #wildlife. Standby for a #conservation #thread ... :)

#NZ has a number of native species currently under threat - from forest birds like the Kea, the iconic Kiwi, Kākāpō & Takahē. But it’s Dunedin that is hailed as the #wildlifecapitalofNZ because it’s here that you can see so much wildlife – from #sealions #furseals #penguins ...

... to #humpbackwhales #orcas #hectordolphins & the #worldslargestseabird the #Albatross. But it’s the #YellowEyedPenguin - considered one of the world’s rarest penguins, that’s especially endangered. The #OtagoPeninsula is one of the only places in the world where they’re found

So my first film for @BBCTravelShow focusses on the efforts of @DunedinWH #DunedinWildlifeHospital & #PenguinPlace (not to mention the work of the @Yeptrust #YellowEyedPenguinTrust), to save the #YellowEyedPenguin. You can watch it here around 13:00 in:

It’s well worth watching the whole show as the topic of #sustainabletravel is discussed. How will our travel look post-Pandemic? #ecotourism #sustainabletourism #SavingNZsWildlife #conservation
@clarwood @AdeAdepitan @PureNewZealand @Lovedunedin @WildDunedin @PredatorFreeNZ

#YEP are also known as “Hoi Ho” Maori for “noise shouter” – these birds could be functionally extinct in 20-30 years’ time if #conservation efforts don’t continue. If it wasn’t for the amazing efforts of the #DunedinWildlifeHospital, #PenguinPlace, & the #YellowEyedPenguinTrust

... many more of these unique birds would die. The main threats to these quirky birds are predators (dogs, shark bites etc) & disease - such as avian malaria that has decimated populations in the past ... #YellowEyedPenguins #NZ

#PenguinPlace has been going since the early 80s & was founded by a kiwi bloke, a farmer who found #HoiHos were pitching up on his beach at #Pipikaretu on the #OtagoPeninsula. It’s here that he established a private wildlife reserve ...

... & spent decades of back-breaking work to establish native habitats, nesting boxes & a system of trenches to observe the #HoiHo in their natural habitat. It’s one of the world’s first wholly tourist funded #conservation projects ...

... & has been carried on over the years by his family. It’s a fantastic example of #sustainable #ecotourism. Without the efforts of Jason, Lisa & the team, thousands of #YellowEyedPenguins would not survive ...

It was a unique experience spending time filming & watching these cheeky creatures hanging in their rehab pens at Penguin Place – playing in the whirl pool, sunbathing on their bellies or sleeping while standing up! #YellowEyedPenguins #conservation #SavingNZsWildlife #Aotearoa

#PenguinPlace and #Pipikaretu beach are some of the most stunning places on the #OtagoPeninsula – wonderful locations to film #notbadforaview #greatdayintheoffice #BTS #behindthescenes

Asides from the #YEP (and one cheeky #FiordlandCrestedPenguin), I also filmed #littlebluepenguins. In #Pukekura – Taiaroa Heads at the end of the #OP lies the world famous Royal Albatross Colony & it’s here too that you can see the world’s smallest penguin – the #Kororā ...

... aka“little blue penguins.” They too are increasingly under threat and @BluePenguinsNZ it’s one of the only places in the world where you can see these cute little creatures arriving on shore every night ... #BluePenguinsPukekura #littlebluepenguins #Pukekura

... It was extraordinary watching them cruise in on “rafts” across the sea & landing on the beach en-masse to pose, preen & feed their chicks. The #kaitiaki (guardianship) work that @bluepenguinsnz, scientist Hiltrun Ratz & local Māori descendents ...

... are doing to preserve & protect these very special penguins is commendable. #KorakoKaretaiTrust #PukekuraTrust #conservation #savingNZsWildlife #littlebluepenguins #korora

The @DunedinWH #DunedinWildlifeHospital is doing amazing work too, despite only being open for 3 years, they see over 600 wildlife patients a year: bbc.com/travel/story/2… #conservation #savingNZswildlife #Yelloweyedpenguins #seabirds #Aotearoa

... But funding is a massive problem. Since the #COVID19Pandemic, #NZ’s borders have been shut to International tourists & visitor numbers to #PenguinPlace & @bluepenguinsnz has drastically reduced ... #SavingNZsWildlife #YEP #Penguins

@bluepenguinsnz has lost around 72% of their tourist numbers & has been forced into hibernation, while #PenguinPlace is itself on the brink. The #DunedinWildlifeHospital too desperately needs funding to survive. #conservation #SavingNZsWildlife #YEP odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/y…

... It really is a battle to save NZ’s native species from threatened extinction. #conservation #SavingNZsWildlife #penguins #yelloweyedpenguins #hoiho #korora #littlebluepenguins #Aotearoa

Such cheeky (not so little) critters ... :) #YEP #yelloweyedpenguins #conservation #photography #SavingNZsWildlife

How stunning is the #OtagoPeninsula? Especially at #Pukekura #TaiaroaHeads (my Grandad was the District Gunner here helping to man the #Armstrongdisappearinggun in WWII). But that’s a story for another time. :) #disappearinggun

#OtagoPeninsula #DunnerStunner #SavingNZsWildlife #WildlifeCapitalofNZ #Aotearoa #sunset #summerdownunder :)

#OtagoPeninsula #DunnerStunner #SavingNZsWildlife #WildlifeCapitalofNZ #Aotearoa #sunset #summerdownunder @Lovedunedin #seascape #photography

#Dunedin #Ōtepoti is partly where I grew up - I went to high school & University here, but I haven’t been back for any length of time for over 20 years. It’s been a really unique experience exploring a very different place to what it was way back then. :) #Aotearoa

More to come! #staytuned for more #NZ #conservation stories. #SavingNZsWildlife #Aotearoa #kaitiaki #kaitiakitanga #predatorfreeNZ @PureNewZealand @docgovtnz 🙌 🎥 🐧 🦭🦜 All photography mine (except the little blues). ☺️

And ... not forgetting - if you want to check out the world’s only mainland colony of #RoyalAlbatross - look no further than #OtagoOeninsula’s @AlbatrossCentre also found at #TaiaroaHeads #Pukekura along with @bluepenguinsnz #NZsWildlifeCapital 🙌 🐧🦭

Little #bts pic of me filming Director, Founder & Head Wildlife Vet Dr Lisa Argilla @DunedinWH #DunedinWildlifeHospital #SavingNZsWildlife #bbctravelshow #director #producer #selfshooter #BehindTheScenes 🎥