Middle Island (Warrnambool)


Middle Island is a small, rocky island lying close to the shore of south-western Victoria, Australia, in Stingray Bay next to the city of Warrnambool. It is a wildlife sanctuary that is home to breeding colonies of little penguins and short-tailed shearwaters. It is now closed to general public access due to the low penguin population.

Maremma Project

Because of the proximity of the island to the coast, it is accessible at low tide to predators such as foxes and stray dogs. As a result, the penguin colony declined to a low of ten breeding pairs by 2005. In 2006 an attempt was made to protect the birds from foxes by the use of Maremma Sheepdogs trained to protect penguins rather than sheep and to act as a deterrent to foxes. The dogs spend five or six days a week on the island during the breeding season from October to March. Since then the penguin population has been increasing and by 2016 had reached nearly two hundred.. In 2017, at least 70 penguins were killed by foxes; there had been no maremmas on patrol because of high tides and bad weather.

Culture

A film Oddball has been made about the Penguin Preservation Project.