What you will do
In preparation for this field trip you will learn about
- penguins in general
- New Zealand penguins
- little blue penguins in particular, including their life cycle
- seals in general
- New Zealand seals
- NZ fur seals in particular, including their life cycle
- the threats to penguins and seals and their conservation
- get up close to penguin chicks and adults and seal pups and their parents
- use technology like a burrow scope
- take part in daily and seasonal conservation work
- carry out a population count and apply estimation techniques
- catch a one-year-old seal pup
- get close to a fluffy blue penguin chick
- find out the life stories of pups and chicks so far
- assess the health of individual animals by taking measurements and samples, then process and interpret the data
- explore the rocky shore and discover what makes up the local food chains
- discover the reasons why penguins and seals are under attack from local and global threats, what steps are being taken to conserve them and what you can do to help
- relate our marine life to local and global issues like sustainability, climate change, food webs, water, interconnectedness, the land/sea interface and human activity
Where you will go
Charleston, near Westport is home to many little blue penguins/kororā - the smallest penguin in the world. The population and range of the little blue penguin has been declining in areas not protected from predators. Cape Foulwind, a half-hour's drive from Charleston, is at the north-western tip of the South Island where it is home to the New Zealand fur seal/kekeno.
Explore these links and learn as much as you can about penguins and seals so you are ready to contribute your learning in class:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4926780_seals-kids.html
http://www.facts-about.org.uk/facts-about-seals.htm
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/penguins/facts.htm
http://www.squidoo.com/penguin-facts-for-kids
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