Conservationists are calling for Penguin Island to be closed to visitors to allow the dwindling little penguin population to recover, but the state government insists the decline is due to climate change and not tourism.
The island, a 10-minute ferry ride from Rockingham, south of Perth, teems with over a hundred species, big and small, but the little penguins have always been the main drawcard.
The colony has dropped by 94 per cent since 2007, leaving an estimated 114 on the island.
Scientists have cited climate change, human activity and migration patterns as driving factors in the population’s decline.
Researchers estimate there are only 114 little penguins left on the island. (ABC Radio Perth: Emma Wynne)
