Penguins harassed by tourists with selfie sticks

A colony of little penguins in St Kilda, near Melbourne, Australia, is under threat from snap-happy tourists who are taking flash photos of the birds using selfie sticks. Guide Susie Parker told 3AW , (audio interview), that tourists are jamming the probes into burrows to capture the perfect shot, but the close-ups are upsetting the penguins and could potentially injure them.



"The selfie stick's not really the problem, it's the flash on the camera that's coming out," she said. "Penguins don't have eyelids, so they can't blink and their eyes are very sensitive." Although the flightless birds are not afraid of humans, they can be easily startled and stressed from visitors invading their space.

Earthcare president Terry Lobert, whose volunteer penguin guides show tourists around the colony at dusk, said selfie sticks worsened a long-standing problem. “I think this is the first year we’ve seen people using them,” Mr Lobert said. “They can get their phones really close to the penguins now; we have to tell them not to stick it right in the penguin’s face, to keep their distance. It’s just unpleasant for the penguins, to have people invading their space.”



Mr Lobert warned tourists the little birds might retaliate, and could even “peck the phone and break it - they are quite strong.” Volunteers use torches covered with red cellophane to illuminate penguins so visitors can take photos without the harsh light of a flash distressing the birds. Signs are posted around the colony warning tourists not to use flash photography, but Mr Lobert said many tourists “either don’t read them or pretend they haven’t read them”.