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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004116S
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00:39 Everybody loves penguins, they're amazing birds.
00:44 They're not quite like any bird you've seen in your backyard 00:48 or in the park. They're birds that don't fly, they're flockers. 00:53 While other birds have wings for flying 00:55 penguins have flippers to help them swim in the water. 00:59 They spend half their time on land and half in the ocean. 01:04 They're highly suitable for the marine environment, 01:07 they're excellent swimmers and can dive to great depths 01:11 to search for food. Some to over 300 meters. 01:16 Their shape and design enable extreme agility underwater. 01:21 The feet and tail act as a rudder while the flippers 01:25 act as propellers. They also have a waterproof coat of short 01:29 overlapping feathers and a well-developed layer of fat 01:33 for insulation. There are 18 species of penguins 01:38 and all of them with just one exception are found in the 01:42 southern hemisphere. 01:43 Some of them are especially fascinating. 01:55 King penguins are the second largest species measuring 01:59 up to one meter tall, they're eye-catching with a vivid 02:03 splash of orangey-yellow markings to contrast the 02:07 black and white. King penguins incubate their eggs 02:11 on their feet. Once the chicks are big enough, 02:15 they form crèches that include many of thousands of chicks. 02:19 At this stage, chicks wear a thick coat of brown down. 02:24 King penguins are great communicators... 02:27 When they return from a foraging trip at sea, they can find 02:31 and identify their chicks in a crowd of 50,000 young penguins 02:36 just by listening to their voices. 02:39 Gentoo penguins are easily recognizable with their 02:43 orange bill, white eye patches, peachy pink feet and a long 02:48 fan-tail that sways when they waddle. They're easy to hear too 02:53 with a loud trumpeting honk. At sea, Gentoo's are known for 02:58 their speed, they're the fastest of all penguins 03:02 in the water, reaching up to 36 kilometers per hour. 03:06 Gentoo's are social breeders building their pebble nests 03:12 in colonies. Pebbles are a Gentoo's prized possession... 03:17 with the right stone a male can woo a female and because 03:22 of this, stones are intensely guarded and the subject of 03:26 many neighborly disputes. Couples are monogamous 03:30 and infidelity is a big no-no with cheating penguins 03:35 being punished with exile from the colony. 03:39 Rock-hopper penguins are named after the habit of 03:46 leaping across rocky terrain. They're one of the more 03:50 athletic penguin species on land but they are still more 03:54 at home in the water and they're well-known for their 03:57 spikey hairdo's. 03:59 Macaroni penguins are famous for their extravagant yellow 04:04 plumes, their distinctive golden crest and bright 04:08 plumage led to the name macaroni which refers to a 04:13 man with flamboyant fashion sense. 04:16 Chin-strap penguins are named for the narrow black band 04:20 under their heads which extends from ear to ear just below 04:25 the chin and cheeks. They're found mainly on the 04:28 Antarctic Peninsula and on islands in the South Atlantic 04:31 Ocean. Which brings us now to one of the most fascinating 04:36 and loved of all the different kinds of penguins and a long way 04:42 from the chin-straps in Antarctica. 04:48 Only along the shores of Southern Australia 04:50 and New Zealand can you find the rare and wonderful site 04:54 the smallest penguins in the world Ferry penguins 04:59 also known as Little penguins. Now to give you an idea 05:04 of their size, this tiny penguin is only 30 to 40 centimeters 05:09 tall, just a little more than the length of the ruler 05:13 you used at school and weighs just one kilogram 05:16 that's the weight of a one liter bottle of water or a pack 05:20 of six small apples. These little penguins are the only 05:26 penguins in the world that don't wear the traditional 05:29 black and white suits...their coat is of dark blue feathers 05:33 and their bellies are white. These charming little penguins 05:38 spend about 80% of their time at sea swimming and foraging 05:43 for food. During the breeding season they return to their 05:47 nesting burrows on land, here they mate, raise their chicks 05:52 molt and take a break from their moths at seal 05:55 All adult penguins molt at the end of the breeding season 06:00 from February to April, all their feathers are shed 06:04 and replaced over a period of two or three weeks. 06:08 During the molt the new feathers aren't waterproof 06:12 and so the birds need to stay on land. 06:15 The nightly ritual of penguins coming ashore enchants 06:20 thousands of people who flock to the coastline to watch 06:24 these small sea-birds surfing like a torpedo in on the waves 06:29 and then they waddle up the beach to sleep in their burrows 06:33 But people aren't the only ones who eagerly watch 06:37 for the arrival of the little penguins. 06:40 One fierce introduced predator wades of swims to the islands 06:46 where the penguins live and can decimate an entire colony 06:50 very quickly. 06:51 Join me as we follow the dramatic story of a colony of 06:57 little penguins that was dangerously threatened 07:00 with extinction and the unlikely hero that saved them. 07:05 This heartwarming story carries a special message for us today 07:09 it'll inspire you and encourage you. 07:30 Warrnambool is a lovely town on the southwestern coast of 07:34 Victoria 260 kilometers from Melbourne at the end of the 07:39 scenic Great Ocean Road. This iconic road was built 07:44 by the return World War I soldiers between 1919 and 1932. 07:49 and passes some of Australia's most dramatic and iconic 07:53 coastline including the magnificent Twelve Apostles. 07:58 The first documented European exploration of the Warrnambool 08:02 area was by Lt. James Brown, a Scottish Explorer 08:07 who sailed the Lady Nelson along the coast in December 08:12 of 1800. Next came the English Navigator Matthew Flinders 08:17 in the investigator and the French Explorer Nicholas Borden. 08:21 who both sailed past Warrnambool in 1802 charting the coastline 08:26 of Australia. Today Warrnambool is home to another type of quest 08:32 The Grand Annual Spring Car Classic on the Australia 08:36 day long weekend in January. It's a 40-lap race on a 08:40 dirt track which attracts over 100 Australian and International 08:45 drivers. The city is also known as the finishing point 08:49 of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic Cycle Race, 08:52 It's the longest one-day bicycle endurance race in the world 08:57 and has been held every October since 1895. 09:01 This area was also frequented by whalers early in the 09:07 19th century. They hunted the whales almost to the point 09:11 of extinction but since whaling was outlawed in 1935, 09:15 the numbers of whales have been steadily increasing. 09:26 Southern rite whales are a variety of baleen whales 09:30 that has plates in its mouth to sieve its food rather than 09:34 teeth. They are some of the largest mammals on earth 09:38 and approximately 10,000 southern rite whales 09:41 live in the sub-Antarctic waters of the southern ocean. 09:46 These whales grow to a length of 18 meters and weigh up to 09:51 23,000 kilos, they have enormous heads and are black/dark brown 09:57 or blue in color. Tourists flock to watch these 10:00 captivating whales breaching and swimming in these waters. 10:04 In winter, the whales migrate to warmer waters around the 10:09 southern areas of Australia and almost every year between 10:13 June and September female southern rite whales 10:16 return to the waters of Warrnambool s Logan Beach 10:20 to calve. The females migrate to the nursery areas 10:25 close to the shore to bear their calves while the males 10:29 yearlings and young adults remain further out to sea. 10:33 The whales often swim within 100 meters of the shore, 10:37 they can be viewed from a specially constructed platform 10:41 in the sand dunes or from the beach. 10:44 But there is another story in Warrnambool that's happened 10:48 in Sting-ray Bay and it starts on Middle Island 10:51 a small croppy windswept outcrop lying very closed to the shore 10:56 where the first fully manned lighthouse station was built 11:00 in 1855. There's a narrow channel between the foreshore 11:04 and the island and for as long as people can remember, 11:08 a colony of little penguins nested and thrived in this 11:12 rocky uninhabited haven. 11:15 Little blue penguins are great swimmers and look as though 11:19 they are flying through the water. 11:21 As they come closer to land they surf in and project 11:25 themselves up on to the land like a small torpedo 11:28 usually landing on their feet. Once they land 11:32 they waddle from side to side with their heads down 11:36 jumping over rocks as they search for their burrow. 11:39 They usually follow the same path to their burrow or 11:43 nesting boxes each night and in Middle Island, they've created 11:48 worn paths into the soft sandstone. 11:51 The little penguins once bred in many places along the 11:55 Southern Australian coastline but introduced predators 11:59 rats, dogs, cats, and foxes preyed on the penguins 12:04 and soon destroyed many of their colonies and their habitats. 12:08 A Deacon University study of the 1999-2000 breeding season 12:15 of Middle Island found 292 burrows and 502 penguins 12:22 were coming ashore during a one hour period in January 2000. 12:27 It was believed that there were about 800 penguins nesting 12:32 on the island. The study also suggested that tourism 12:37 was having a negative impact on the penguins and raised concern 12:41 over the thread post of the colony by foxes and wild dogs. 12:45 It was about the same time during the year 2000 the 12:50 natural water currents in the channel led to an increased 12:53 sand build-up and provided access to the island during 12:56 low-tide. Suddenly the fox threat became a reality 13:02 because now at low tide, you could walk across from the 13:06 mainland to the island a distance of only 20 to 30 meters 13:11 without barely getting wet. 13:12 This meant that the hundreds of little penguins were now 13:17 at risk and in serious danger. Soon the foxes found that 13:23 during low-tide, they could cross to the island for a 13:26 penguin dinner. Now foxes are known to be thrill killers. 13:30 They kill anything they find even though they don't need it 13:34 for food. Within five years the penguin population 13:39 had decreased and in 2005 the penguin preservation project 13:45 did a survey and found that 360 penguins had been killed 13:50 by the foxes in just two nights. 13:53 The penguin colony was being decimated by the foxes 13:58 though now a few of them tend breeding pairs on the island 14:02 something had to be done to save the penguins. 14:06 In 2006 the penguin preservation project closed Middle island 14:13 to the public to protect the penguin burrows, chicks, and eggs 14:17 from human trampling. But it wasn't enough, foxes and other 14:22 predators were still reaching the island. 14:25 The penguins on Middle Island were going to be wiped out 14:30 unless a solution could be found. 14:32 And then the unlikeliest concept was suggested, a chicken farmer 14:38 by the name of Swampy Marsh came up with a plan. 14:52 Swampy Marsh had successfully used his dog as shepherds 14:56 to protect his free-range chickens from the foxes 14:59 The dogs had zealously guarded the chickens and protected them 15:04 from danger, they were dedicated and successful shepherds. 15:08 So he suggested he could try sending his dogs over to the 15:14 island as guardians to protect the little penguins 15:18 from the foxes. But they weren't just any breed of dog, 15:22 they were Maremma dogs. Now the Maremma sheepdog 15:27 is an Italian breed of sheep guarding dog native to 15:31 the mountains of Tuscan. These dogs are known for their 15:35 thick white coats, fluffy tails, and their fearlessness 15:40 in protecting and defending their flock from wolves. 15:44 In a world-first Maremma dogs were trained to protect 15:48 penguins rather than chickens or sheep, they were placed on 15:52 Middle Island to protect the penguins from foxes 15:56 during the breeding season. The first of several dogs to be 16:00 used on Middle Island was called Odd Ball and he made quite 16:05 an impact. 16:07 Our volunteer group was kind of doing penguin counting 16:10 and stuff like that and over a period of a couple of weeks 16:13 they found over 360 dead mountain birds who also live 16:16 on the island and penguins on the island. 16:18 So they spoke amongst each other they tried baiting, they tried 16:20 shooting, they tried fencing, some areas off there 16:23 just none of it worked and one of the volunteers suggested 16:26 to Swampy Marshall like old free-range egg farmer 16:30 and Swampy inexplicably said all I need is a couple of 16:33 Maremma's out there, they just took some dinner sits 16:35 and they will take care of the whole problem. 16:37 And that's when they took Oddball out there, 16:40 the first dog to go out there the first time a Maremma 16:42 dog had been used to look after a native species and from 16:46 Oddballs first night on the island and the foxes tracks 16:48 the killing of the birds stopped immediately. 16:53 The project was a huge success, the shepherd dogs stay on the 16:58 island during the breeding season from October to March 17:02 it's as if they take on the responsibility for the care and 17:06 well-being of the penguins, they are prepared to commit 17:11 everything to protect the penguins. 17:13 Amazingly since Oddball and his four legged successors were 17:18 introduced, there was a steady increase in the penguin 17:22 colony size. By 2013 there was and estimated 180 penguins 17:29 and by 2016 the population reached over 200 17:33 and there was no evidence of a fox attack on a single penguin 17:39 on Middle Island through to 2017 when the dogs stood on guard 17:43 but then, disaster struck the colony. 17:47 Due to high tides and bad weather no Maremma's were 17:54 taken to the island, the colony had no shepherd and without 18:00 the dogs on patrol, the foxes came to the island and went 18:04 on a killing spree. In a single night at least 70 penguins 18:09 died, the preservation project immediately returned the 18:14 Maremma's to the island and they have been successfully 18:17 protecting the little penguins ever since. 18:20 The shepherd makes all the difference. 18:24 Today Middle Island is a wild- life sanctuary that is home 18:29 to breeding colonies of little blue penguins 18:32 and short-tailed shearwaters. It's captured the interest of 18:36 the world and provided a huge boost for tourism in the area. 18:44 During the summer months you can visit Middle Island 18:47 on the Meet the Maremma Tours and experience the project 18:52 first hand. The Maremma Ambassador Dogs also spend time 18:57 at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village interacting 19:00 with visitors and helping to educate people about 19:04 environmental conservation. 19:06 Middle Island is part of the Merri Marine Sanctuary 19:11 a dedicated group of volunteers assist in managing the features 19:17 of this beautiful area. This innovative project is widely 19:22 recognized as a world first and has received a number 19:25 of awards. Over 6,000 volunteer hours have been contributed 19:31 to the project in activities such as penguin monitoring, 19:36 care and training of Maremma dogs, building of infrastructure 19:40 on the island and fox control. 19:42 In 2014, this heartwarming story was made into a movie 19:48 called Oddball and enjoyed by people all over the world. 19:52 The storyline is based on the true story of the Middle Island 19:57 Conservation Project and focuses on one of the original 20:02 Maremma shepherds dogs who protects the penguin colony 20:05 and saves them from extinction. 20:07 The movie is funny and touching and loving, in fact, 20:14 the whole movie is basically about love, standing guard 20:18 protecting the needy and vulnerable. 20:21 It's a reminder of the importance of having a good shepherd 20:25 to protect the colony from danger and the penguins aren't 20:30 the only ones that need protection, we do too. 20:35 In a sense we all need a good shepherd as we face the 20:40 challenges of life in the real world because there are times 20:45 when we all feel unprotected and exposed to the elements 20:48 of life. Financial struggles, marital difficulties, 20:53 unfair treatment, employment problems, we need 20:57 a good shepherd. And here's the good news. 21:01 We've got one, listen to what Jesus says in John 10:11: 21:16 Jesus promises to be our shepherd, our protector, 21:20 He's reminding us of the words of the Shepherd's song. 21:23 The opening line is the most famous line of all songs. 21:28 This greatly loved song is extremely powerful in its 21:33 simplicity, here's what it says in Psalm 23: 21:55 Isn't that reassuring? It's so comforting to know 21:59 that the good shepherd will lead, guide, and protect us. 22:04 No matter where we may be stranded in life He will lead us 22:08 to a better place no matter what predators may be lurking, 22:12 He will protect us and lead us to a safe place. 22:16 But there is more in Psalm 23, listen as we continue. 22:34 Perhaps you are going through the valley of the shadow 22:37 right now, maybe the valley of the shadow of death. 22:40 It may be the valley of the shadow of depression. 22:44 It may be the valley of the shadow of discouragement. 22:47 It may be the valley of the shadow of debt or conflict. 22:51 Shadows can be scary. Remember being afraid of shadows 22:56 when you were lying in bed as a child? 22:58 But I've learned a few things about shadows 23:01 First, shadows can't hurt you and second, shadows are always 23:08 bigger than the source and sometimes than reality. 23:12 And here's the good news, wherever there's a shadow, 23:16 there has to be a light. You can't have a shadow without 23:20 a light. So the key when you are going through the valley 23:24 of the shadow is to turn your back on the shadow 23:28 and look at the light. 23:29 Because as long as you keep your eyes on the light 23:33 Jesus, the Light of the world, Jesus, the good shepherd, 23:38 the shadows won't scare you that's how you get through 23:41 the valley's. Jesus promises that even in your darkest 23:46 valley's, He's there walking beside you. Just look at Him 23:51 don't be afraid. And remember this as well shepherd's always 23:56 carried a rod and a staff to protect their sheep 24:00 and in the same way, God has all that's necessary 24:04 to protect you and care for you. 24:06 So yes, you can trust Him even in the darkest valleys. 24:11 Here's how the shepherd's Psalm ends. 24:42 God's protection and His reward lasts forever, the secret is 24:48 knowing the shepherd which reminds me of a famous Shakespeare actor 24:52 who was the guest of honor at a social gathering. 24:55 Where he received many requests to recite favorite parts 24:59 from various literary works. An elderly retired pastor 25:05 in the crowd asked the actor to recite Psalm 23 25:09 The Shepherd's Psalm. the actor agreed on the condition 25:13 that the preacher would also recite it. 25:15 Well the actor's recitation was expertly presented 25:20 with great dramatic emphasis and the crowd gave him loud 25:25 and lengthy applause, then it was the old preachers turn 25:30 his voice was rough and broken from many years of preaching 25:34 and his diction was anything but polished 25:38 but when he finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. 25:42 When someone asked the actor what made the difference, 25:46 he replied, I know the Psalm but he knows the shepherd. 25:53 If you would like to know the shepherd better, 25:56 and experience the inner peace and happiness that Jesus offers, 26:00 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our 26:04 Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:07 It's the easy to read booklet Psalm 23, the shepherd's Psalm. 26:13 This small booklet will provide more detail on the this 26:17 much loved Psalm. This booklet is our gift to you 26:20 and it's absolutely free. I guarantee there are no 26:24 hidden costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:27 So make sure you take this wonderful opportunity 26:31 to receive the free gift we have for you today. 26:34 Phone or text us at 0436.333.555 in Australia 26:42 or 020.422.2042 in New Zealand 26:47 or visit our website at TiJ.tv to request todays Free Offer 26:53 and we'll send it to you totally free of charge 26:55 and with no obligation. 26:57 Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia 27:04 or PO box 76673 Manikau, Auckland 2241, New Zealand. 27:11 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:17 If you've enjoyed our journey to Warrnambool and Middle Island 27:21 to see the little penguins and our reflections on the 27:25 Good Shepherd and the protection that Jesus offers us, 27:28 then be sure to join us again next week when we will share 27:33 another of life's journey's together. 27:35 Until then, may God keep you safe and give you peace. 27:40 Let's pray! 27:42 Dear Heavenly Father, We all experience dark valley's 27:47 and challenges in our lives and we pray that you will 27:51 protect us and lead us and guide us. 27:54 We thank you for drawing near to us and for being our Shepherd 27:59 today and forever. In Jesus name we pray. 28:03 Amen! |
Revised 2021-11-18