Conservation

The Middle Island Maremma Project began in 2006 when fox predation resulted in a sharp
decline in the size of the colony of Little Penguins on Middle Island.

A Deakin University study of the Little Penguin 1999-2000 breeding season found 292 occupied burrows with 502 penguins coming ashore during a one-hour period in January 2000. At that
time humans walking around the island were found to be having a negative impact on penguin breeding by trampling their burrows. Concerns were also raised over the threat posed to the
colony by foxes and dogs. By 2005 there were fewer than 10 penguins on the island as foxes had crossed to the island and were killing the birds.

A local chicken farmer, Swampy Marsh, suggested Maremma guardian dogs could be used to protect the penguins. Swampy had successfully used Maremmas on his farm to help protect his free-range chickens from fox attack.

In a world-first, Maremma dogs were trained and placed on Middle Island to protect the penguins from foxes during the breeding season. With dogs on the island there was no evidence of fox attacks between 2006 and 2017 and the population of penguins increased steadily colony to an estimated 180 penguins during the 2016/2017 breeding season. Middle Island has been closed
to the public since 2006 to protect penguin burrows from human trampling which can destroy burrows, harm penguins, penguin chicks and eggs. The closure of the Island may have also
contributed to the increase in the number of penguins living on the island.

In 2017 penguins returned to the island earlier than usual, before the maremmas were out there doing guardian duties. The foxes took advantage of the situation, crossed to the island and killed
140 penguins. As soon as the maremmas, Eudy and Tula, were returned to the island the killing stopped. It was a sad situation to have all these penguins killed, but it showed how important the maremmas are for protecting this penguin colony.

Tula has recently retired as a guardian dog, however Eudy is playing an important role in training Mezzo, Isola and Oberon to look after the penguins. During the penguin breeding season two
dogs are out on the island for about five days per week and on their days off they live on a farm.
Avis and Amor are also members of the maremma team and people can met them by joining one of the ‘Meet the Maremma Experience’ tours or can visit them at Warrnambool’s Flagstaff Hill
Maritime Museum. Find out more about this by visiting the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village website.

The Middle Island Project is widely recognised as an innovative world-first in wildlife conservation. As a conservation tool it is now known as the ‘Warrnambool Method’, has received
a number of awards and attracted much media attention. In 2014 the filming of the multi-million dollar movie production Oddball took place. The movie’s storyline is based on the Middle Island
Project and stars Shane Jacobson. This movie has been released in many countries across the world. Italian company Erebus Productions produced a documentary on Middle Island that was
viewed by 1.5 million people in Italy and the Maremmas and Little Penguins were also featured on ABC’s science program, Catalyst. The project received the 2010 Australian Government Coastcare Award.

The Project has been made possible thanks to support from many businesses, organisations and volunteers since it began in 2006. It is currently overseen by Warrnambool City Council, Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network, Deakin University and Warrnambool Field Naturalist Club and is sponsored by PetStock and the Vet Group. Over 6000 volunteer hours have been contributed to the project in activities such as penguin monitoring, care and training of Maremma dogs, building of infrastructure on the Island and fox control.

Middle Island and Merri Marine Sanctuary are features of the South Warrnambool Coastline Middle Island is located off the coast of Warrnambool in the Southern Ocean.

Access to Middle
Island has been enhanced by changes in the coastline and this has made it easy for predators to cross Stingray Bay and attack the penguins nesting there.

Stingray Bay and nearby Lady Bay are part a dynamic coastal environment that has been dramatically changed by the construction of the Warrnambool Breakwater and Harbour complex.
Islands that were once well off the mainland have become exposed to visits by foxes and people due to coastal change. This map developed by third year Deakin University marine biology
student Silvia San Laureano Quiñones in conjunction with Senior Lecturer in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences Dr Daniel Ierodiaconou uses maps from the Flagstaff Maritime
Village archives over-layed with today’s mapping to show the dramatic changes that have taken place.

Warrnambool Lady Bay, Australia 1870 to today

Middle Island is part of the Merri Marine Sanctuary an area that contains many different marine habitats. The Friends of Merri Marine Sanctuary is a dedicated group of volunteers that assists in managing the area and providing public education about the features of this beautiful area. Click here to download the Friends group brochure. 

Conservation Links from Deakin University

Deakin University’s Warrnambool Campus offers a course in Marine Biology and the Middle Island Project offers the students a real-world example of biological conservation in action. The
Deakin students are also invaluable to the Middle Island Project as they volunteer their time to help with monitoring the penguin population, managing the maremma dogs and undertaking
research to better inform our understanding of the biology and geology and this amazing environment.

Marine Biology at Deakin University in Warrnambool