Whether you call them Little Penguins or Fairy Penguins, the name rightfully suggests that this species is not the most formidable of their flightless family. In fact, standing at about only 16" high, they are the smallest of all penguins. Therefore it might not be surprising that they are picked on by other species.
The "McFly" of the penguin world
Well wedgies are one thing, but a string of grisly fairy penguin murders, nine so far, has prompted Australia to break out the big guns, literally. Two professional snipers have been dispatched to a national park near Sydney Harbor to even the playing field. Dogs and foxes are the main suspects and the snipers will patrol both day and night.
The snipers will survive exclusively on penguin meat and sea water for the next six months
Previous penguin defense missions were less successful...
You'll be happy to know that the penguins are now safe. It seems it was not the snipers that made the difference, but the information that DNA analyses of saliva found on the dead penguins would be used to identify the responsible carnivores. The rich people who were letting their dogs out to kill penguins appear to be acting more responsibly now that they are worried they may have to pay a large fine or two.