Penguin cookies sold for wildlife hospital

Kaikorai Primary School pupils Tiaki Herewini and Isla Marshall (both 6) hold a couple of the penguin cookies they baked to raise funds for the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital Trust. Photos by Gregor Richardson.
Kaikorai Primary School pupils Tiaki Herewini and Isla Marshall (both 6) hold a couple of the penguin cookies they baked to raise funds for the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital Trust. Photos by Gregor Richardson.
Six-year-olds make the best sales people.

One of the penguin cookies.
One of the penguin cookies.
Kaikorai Primary School year 2 teacher Dale Blackie said it was because they were very hard to say no to.

That is how a class of 6-year-olds managed to sell more than 360 penguin-shaped cookies - which they baked themselves - and raise about $670 to help establish the Wildlife Hospital Trust, in Dunedin.

''They are the perfect salesmen - they're very good.''

Miss Blackie said the class had been reading about Buster the yellow-eyed penguin in the Otago Daily Times, as part of its study of New Zealand native birds and sustainability.

Buster has been in the news several times, after being attacked by a barracouta about two years ago, and more recently by a shark, at Papanui Beach on the Otago Peninsula.

The penguin had one of his infected toes amputated after the barracouta attack, and had a nasty abdominal wound stitched up after the shark attack.

''The children do like the penguins,'' Miss Blackie said.

''We've been looking at birds and how we can help the native birds of New Zealand.

''We've also been to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, and we realised some birds need extra help - like the takahe and the yellow-eyed penguin.''

She said the pupils had been following Buster's progress, and were keen to support the hospital initiative, so it could help more penguins like him.

Wildlife Hospital Trust project co-ordinator Andy Cunningham said the hospital would be for all South Island wildlife, south of Kaikoura and Greymouth.

''We're delighted with the funding because it is helping us to establish a wildlife hospital to help save and rehabilitate wildlife here in Dunedin, rather than send them to the North Island for treatment.

''It's a wonderful gesture by the children, which is helping us to get the wildlife hospital open.

''This is a hospital for all wildlife, not just penguins.''

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

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