wild south. living together

Wild South documentary about the human impact on the Otago Peninsular and its wildlife.
In a instant of NZ’s long life time most of the wild creatures have vanished from the peninsular. But a few hang on. (Shots of a yellow-eyed penguin returning from a fishing trip to feed its chicks). The programme points out that the clearance of vegetation has severely restricted nest sites for yellow eyes and that this has helped reduce their numbers.
While most wildlife has had to go in the face of agriculture, some species have prospered: shots of Dominican (black-backed) gulls.
In Otago harbour the strip of intertidal land is where man and wildlife most often meet: shots of oyster catchers, pied stilts, godwits and white-faced herons probing for delicacies in the mud. As the programme points out: Sea birds, wading birds, ducks and swans made a good living in Otago Harbour but they’’ll only stay if the life supporting mud remains unpolluted and plentiful”. As the programme points out: “ Mud flats are more productive than the best farm land”. “ A food chain of inestimable value begins here”. It’s a nursery for several species of fish but tends to be a repository for rubbish, industrial waste, sewage, hill slip material and storm water.
Otago harbour has lost a 20th of its tidal capacity through reclamations. Any further reduction in water volume and the harbour could begin to choke itself.
Shots of a young NZ fur seal playing in the sea and shots of a non breeding seal colony. Because of declining fish numbers some people are calling for a seal cull but seals eat almost a pure squid diet and as the programme points out any fishermen affected by them are certainly not local ones.
Shots of the three different shag species on the Otago harbour. Shots of the albatross colony at Tairaoa head and a description of its history . Through the protection of the albatross at Taiaroa an important lesson has been learned : a lesson that may be worth repeating where land meets the sea. Whenever the tide goes out it is dirtier than when it came in. By destroying the mud we destroy the wildlife.
Shots of yellow-eyed penguins feeding their fast growing chicks. The “empty” adult heading down hill to the shore greets the full one coming up. The yellow eyes represent the wildlife of the Otago Peninsular. They’ll only stay if they receive protection and sanctuary. Other wildlife stays on the peninsular not because it receives protection but because it occupies land not needed for any other purpose. The programme says that claims for industrial uses are now being made on this intertidal zone and warns history has shown that such demand for space doesn’t stop and wildlife is always forced to give way.