To me the Yellow-Eyed Penguins are a very important animal, as they are native to New Zealand. My Y.E.P design is showing all the threats that Yellow-eyed Penguins face everyday. Meaning:

• The Y stands for the trees and bushes that get chopped down everyday, i.e.: the Y.E.P habitat getting destroyed.
• The E, O, E, N, and U are coloured in all the colours that relate to Yellow-Eyed Penguins like: the yellow E stands for Yellow-Eyed and the O- which is green symbolises nature etc.
• My two L’s show a camera with no zoom above it, this tells you that some people may get too close to the penguins.
• W- A nest with eggs in plain sight of predators.
• E- the E has the words not social in it and this tells you that Y.E.P are NOT social!
• Y- This has a dark red paw print on it and this tells you that they have predators.
• P- This one shows a favourite food of the Y.E.P…FISH!
• This is a map of the south island around it and the dots show where the penguins can be found.
• Tap- shows the threats of oil spills.
• Dog- dogs are major predators.
• The Y.E.P- this shows that they are targets because it is holding a TARGET sign.

In conclusion I believe that we should all contribute to making NZ a safer place for our little Yellow friends. Written By: Ashtyn, Aged- 11, Beckenham School, Yr6.

The yellow – eyed penguin design tells you about the big New Zealand penguin. My design is advertising the ideal place / habitat for them. Meanings:

The first Y and the fourth E shows that the Y.E.P goes away from the nest but always comes back to the nest.
The Z and Y shows a fern because the Y.E.P they live around ferns and bush.
The second L’s mean they breed and sleep hidden in the trees and bushes.
The O is a nest, and shows they have 2 eggs, the G shows it’s really good to have a camera with zoom also it is good to keep low and hidden also the G means that it is good to keep your dogs on leads around wildlife.
The hypen is a fish and it shows the penguins diet.
I think that it is good to help save the Yellow Eyed Penguin so they don’t become extinct in the near future.

By Katie, Aged 10, Beckenham School, Yr6

I think yellow-eyed penguins are important to New Zealand because they are native birds. My doodle is all about the perfect habitat for the yellow-eyed penguin. The p has the sign NO Vehicles the Tims diesel is yellow so it stands out as a main threat. The dogs on leads sign and the dog on the lead represent that dogs can actually do harm to the yellow-eyed penguin. The yellow-eyed penguins eat fish so on the – I put a fish. On the e there is a penguin calling to its mate because it’s afraid of the dog. The tree on the u has eggs underneath to say that something can happen to the parents naturally. I hope this picture inspires you to look and care  for the yellow-eyed penguin. By Anna, Aged: 10, Beckenham School, Yr 6    

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Collect your certificates from here.

From Expert feedback from Dave McFarlane the Field Manager at the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust

I can see the teaching and learning that has gone on to get the kids to that level of understanding.

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Ashtyn

Your poster shows the trees being destroyed and oil spills.

Well done!

Both are potential problems although less so the tree clearance. There is only Wiapara Head in the Catlins where there are still penguins and the forest is being destroyed.

It's good you have mentioned that YEPs are not social but live in lose aggregations.

You need to extend your 'dot' up to North Otago and Banks Peninsula where YEPs are found.

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Katie

You are right - YEPs can live all year round in the same place unlike some other penguin species.

They can also live in man made nesting boxes. They are an adaptable bird.

It's nice you have a camera 200 m sign and a dog on a lead.

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Anna

This would be a pleasant habitat for a YEP. Dogs can certainly do harm to a YEP.

I like the diesel truck, the 2 eggs and the YEP calling.

Sometimes, unfortunately you do find nests abandoned with the eggs still in them.

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Seungjae

The jury is still out whether fur seals are a YEP predator.

The way you have shown the E as traps is really good.

YEPs catch smaller fish and the jury is still out as to whether they are after the same larger fish that the fishermen are after.

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Chida

A lovely poster.

See the same fisherman's argument above.

That is a nice fat YEP! Is the chicks are nice and fat when they fledge they have a better chance of surviving. Also when the YEPs moult they need to put on a lot of weight.

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Simon

The road looks good in the ll. And, there is another nice fat penguin.

Not all tourism is negative. If it is well managed and good interpretative signs then people enjoy learning about and seeing the yellow-eyed penguins.

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Daniel

You have all the basics here in an attractive poster.

The dog breaking lose shows how it can become a real threat to penguins of all sorts.

Showing that tourists should never get close to YEPs is also a good idea.

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Isaac

It's good you are showing deforestation although it is not happening that much anymore in penguin habitats.

The killer whale would take out a YEP if it was hungry. It's good seeing you have mentioned rats and traps. There is a lot of good detail in your poster.