Monograph

Alfreda the City Penguin

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Alfreda is a real fairy penguin. She lives in a rocky breakwater on the edge of a busy city.
Alfreda enjoys fishing trips and her social life with the other fairy penguins in her gang. There's the breeding and moulting seasons to prepare for each year. Plus she has interesting neighbours such as seals and water rats.
Alfreda is a small bird but a tough one. City living has its problems, however, and when an oil spill occurs Alfreda finds she needs some help from human friends.

This story is based on an oil spill that occured in 1989 in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. In 1995 the Iron Baron leaked oil that killed thousands of seabirds in nearby Bass Strait.
St. Kilda harbour is located on the shore of Port Phillip Bay. A colony of about 200 fairy penguins have lived in the harbour breakwater since it was built for the Olympic Games in 1956.
Little or fairy penguins have some extraordinary characteristics. Native to Australia and New Zealand they are the smallest species of penguin in the world. Despite their size they are the most vocal penguins with at least seven different call sounds. They are also the only penguin that comes ashore at night instead of the day.
In 1989 a community group called Earthcare was formed to protect the breakwater from pollution and development. As a result it is now a protected wildlife area only a few hundred metres from the city's busiest foreshore.
In 1994 citizens of Obu, Japan - a sister city of Port Phillip - raised funds to publish this story about Alfreda in both Japanese and Australian editions. A matching contribution was made by the City of Port Phillip. All profits from the sale of this book will be put towards protection of the penguin colony.
This book is a testament to the goodwill and cooperation between citizens of Japan and Australia. It signifies that the love for the wildlife of our planet is greater than our international boundaries.
Alfreda is still seen occasionally in her burrow at the far end of the breakwater.

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Availability

9780646247021A

PF EID a

JMS Library

Available

Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

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Publisher

Australia : Earthcare St. Kilda Inc.., 1995

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780646247021

Classification

NONE

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

First published

Subject(s)

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Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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