0:00:02 > 0:00:09There's a very special island off the south coast of Australia, where thousands of penguins come to breed,
0:00:09 > 0:00:14and thousands of people come to watch.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20Unique to this corner of our planet, the smallest of all penguin species,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24the Little Penguin, is battling to survive in a human world.
0:00:24 > 0:00:30But a dedicated team of scientists has sworn to guard them from people,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32predators,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38and this year, from the hottest summer since records began.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40As starving chicks struggle to hang on,
0:00:40 > 0:00:46and their parents scour the oceans for a dwindling supply of fish,
0:00:46 > 0:00:51what will it take to protect these pocket-sized creatures?
0:00:53 > 0:00:59This week, chicks Sammy and Tom are old enough to be left home alone.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03It's time for the two young brothers to meet their fans.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07But sometimes, humans and penguins get too close.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12And now, there's a life to save on Penguin Island.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Like much of Australia's coastline, by day Summerland's beach
0:01:41 > 0:01:44is a playground for surfers and sunbathers.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57And every evening, the beach is closed.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09At night, this place belongs to the island's many animals.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17But most of all, it belongs to penguins.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Now three weeks old, penguin chicks Sammy and Tom
0:02:23 > 0:02:28have guzzled their way to an incredible ten times their birth weight.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36This pair would eat all night if you let them, so their parents have no choice but to fish all day.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Their mum, Sheila, is one of the first adults to return home to the colony after dark.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53She's got a bellyful of fish, so it's tucker time, fellas!
0:03:00 > 0:03:02There's no let-up for penguin parents.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Getting fed is a matter of life and death for chicks.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12No time for table manners!
0:03:19 > 0:03:24By 3 in the morning, the larder's empty and this exhausted mother has
0:03:24 > 0:03:29no choice but to go and find more, if she wants her chicks to survive.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The boys spend the day lounging indoors.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50Though only a day older, Sammy is growing faster than his brother Tom
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and accommodation is getting increasingly cramped.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05The family burrow is in the front garden of one of the old houses,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09in a once busy area known as the Summerland Estate.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Building your own home in Summerlands used to be a dream for many young couples.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27You could pick up a bargain block of land with a million-dollar view.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31Only problem -
0:04:31 > 0:04:34thousands of penguins lived there already.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41When we first got here, we couldn't sleep at four, or five, or six, it was so noisy.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46PENGUINS CALL NOISILY
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Shut up!
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Visitors say, "how on earth can you sleep with this racket going on all night?"
0:04:54 > 0:04:55"Rrrrr, rrrrr!"
0:04:55 > 0:04:58under the house and it's like a drum, because there's just, um...
0:04:58 > 0:05:03boards, bare boards and nothing underneath. So, it's pretty noisy.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08It might not be the quietest place for a holiday house, but the kids love it.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- And now there's a mother sitting on eggs in here.- No.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17Though the park rangers and penguins would prefer it if you left their nestboxes alone!
0:05:17 > 0:05:19There's an egg there.
0:05:19 > 0:05:26For years, people and penguins just accepted that they each had unusual neighbours.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Yeah, having penguins live under your house, that's pretty novel, isn't it?
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Affectionately termed "The penguin house".
0:05:35 > 0:05:38It was the cars and the pets that caused the problem.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42And when numbers dropped at the nightly penguin parade,
0:05:42 > 0:05:47it was down to biologist Peter Dann to do something about it.
0:05:47 > 0:05:54At the time we had 180 houses, which usually meant 180 dogs and probably 180 cats.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Probably, you know, 300 cars.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Something like that.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04There were hundreds of penguins killed in the housing estate each year.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06The radical solution?
0:06:06 > 0:06:14Remove the residents, remove their cars and, eventually, all the homes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Now the housing estate is a ghost town.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23The first time a human settlement has been removed
0:06:23 > 0:06:28for a single animal species, and that's anywhere in the world.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Though Peter can do much to keep penguins safe from humans on land,
0:06:42 > 0:06:49it's a lot harder to protect them out at sea, where they spend half their lives facing many dangers.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09A penguin's nearly drowned after getting caught in fishing line.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Nylon cord had knotted around his left foot.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24It's straight to hospital for this fella, by penguin ambulance.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Look at his foot, it's just really abnormal.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Yeah, just massively swollen, the poor thing.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36They give him antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41But this new patient is a big concern for wildlife carer, Marg Healy.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I'm very worried about him, because he'd be in huge amounts of pain.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50If you can imagine having an elastic band around a finger or something, for weeks,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and your finger is actually about to fall off.
0:07:53 > 0:08:00To help the swelling go down, they'll give him regular swims in the hospital pool.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05And a nickname - this penguin is now known as Foot.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14A day later, and it's Marg's job to fish him out after his morning swim.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Don't do that!
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But Foot doesn't want Marg anywhere near his sore leg.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And he's got an understandable aversion to fishing equipment.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35He's not happy to be here.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Penguins are tough.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Wild animals don't show any pain or fear, because they get eaten.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46The blood supply has been cut and the limb is dying.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It's agony for Foot.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53With the drug regime we've had him on, it hasn't really worked.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Marg needs some specialist advice.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's very nasty.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- You're a little fatty, aren't you? - He is.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25The potential of a bone infection starting and becoming systemic, like
0:09:25 > 0:09:31going through the whole system, is huge if it's left like this, because it's a dead foot.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35The foot will eventually drop off and bacteria can get into the end of the bone.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Poor little guy. Ow!
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Did you want to knock him out and x-ray him?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Yeah, we can certainly x-ray it. Yeah, for sure.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Come out the back.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48He is really going to fight.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53It takes twice the normal amount of anaesthetic to sedate Foot.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09This is the one. The actual joint looks...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11There is no choice.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16To end his pain, they must amputate.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's either that or he won't survive.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23We would have to euthanase, and we actually know that penguins
0:10:23 > 0:10:27can survive with a partial foot, or a very long stump.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30They don't use that foot when they swim, at all.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34Their flippers are their wings.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36It's a delicate operation,
0:10:36 > 0:10:42cutting away all the dead stuff, but trying to keep enough healthy tissue to protect the limb.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56There we go.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Now you can have it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Good man. Well done, sweetie.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Foot is already trying to stand.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07It's a good sign that he may soon be able to walk again.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Well, he's putting weight on it nicely there.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- I'm hopeful now. All righty, so Clavulox, seven days?- Yes.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16All right, thank you.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Night closes in on the island.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Soon, penguin parents are returning to feed their young.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The two chicks, Sammy and Tom, line up for dinner -
0:11:50 > 0:11:56like every other ravenous youngster in the colony.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00They jostle for pole position in the nightly race for food.
0:12:04 > 0:12:10Adult penguins can recognise the unique call of their offspring,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14but chicks can only guess who's Mum or Dad.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18So they try every passing parent.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Bluey, Sammy and Tom's father, has just come ashore.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31He still has a 100-metre cliff to climb.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Last chance to catch his breath.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Up top, they're already under starter's orders.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Every weary adult must run the gauntlet of other penguins' pushy chicks.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13They fight you on the beaches, they fight you in the burrows.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Hold the line if you can!
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Don't give in to surprise attack!
0:13:26 > 0:13:29The worst cases of parent abuse take place
0:13:29 > 0:13:34round the nestboxes behind the tourist kitchens, known as the Penguin Cafe.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47Here, thuggish chicks outnumber beleaguered mums and dads by five to one,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and they gang up on them mercilessly.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Sometimes they forget who are the grown-ups and who are the kids.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Rocky's a young male who's a bit of a late developer,
0:14:05 > 0:14:11still busy tarting up his nestbox, still trying to find Mrs Right to move in with him.
0:14:11 > 0:14:18Maybe, if he waits in his ideal penguin home, love will come knocking.
0:14:18 > 0:14:25At last, a young female comes to check out his nestbox.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Could she be the girl of his dreams, the mother of his chicks?
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But Rocky's not the only male on the prowl.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56The female seems taken with Rocky's love-pad.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59But now she wants to see his dance moves.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Everything's going Rocky's way
0:15:06 > 0:15:09when a rival male stops the party.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19And carries on where Rocky left off.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Once again, Rocky is left out in the cold.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31When will this unlucky seabird find a mate?
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Meanwhile, Sammy and Tom are still waiting at the head of the dinner queue.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Hang on, could this be Mum right now?
0:15:47 > 0:15:52But this female has had one too many meal requests from strangers.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58A night vision camera shows what happens next.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The boys think it's Mum,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and they start begging.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08But she's not their mum and she punishes them cruelly for their mistake.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Bluey, their dad, is halfway up the hill
0:16:12 > 0:16:16when he hears his chicks screaming.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Now she's got Sammy by the flipper.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Bluey rushes in to sort things out.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40No-one messes with Bluey's boys!
0:16:42 > 0:16:47Now Dad's back, they get the treat they've been waiting for all night.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The penguins share their island with other animals and birds.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Marg admits a new patient to the hospital -
0:17:26 > 0:17:32a pelican that flew into power lines and is now too traumatised to even eat.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38With seabirds, the really key thing is to manage stress and to understand that each animal
0:17:38 > 0:17:44that comes in is an individual with individual problems, and not try and treat it like just an animal.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47You know, sort of understand its issues.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53But stress is the huge thing and that's things like being very quiet, giving them huge amounts of time
0:17:53 > 0:17:58during the day to be not disturbed, so that they can rest and build up their energy.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Hi, sweetie.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07As for Foot, well, he's already getting some of his fight back
0:18:07 > 0:18:09and that's just a day after his operation.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13It takes two to change his bandage.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16The wound is actually bleeding a bit.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18He's such a struggling bird to feed.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23He's pulling at the stitches while he's trying to get away from me.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26So we're going to keep it bandaged for a couple of days until it seals up a bit.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Yeah, thanks for that.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Foot's not the only noisy one.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40There's long-term patient, Jonathan, a silver gull,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45who was rescued as a chick and is still here eight weeks later.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50He's totally recovered and should be long gone,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55but this noisy seabird has grown a little too accustomed to the after-care.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, you've been fed, four times.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Foot can't keep his food down.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05He's not eating anywhere near enough to pull through.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Is it going to stay down there?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10No, here it comes again.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Sweetheart, don't do that.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21OK, if you really want to, I'll help. OK, right.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31And his first attempt at walking doesn't look at all promising.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Marg can only wash his beak and pray that he'll turn the corner soon.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Well, I didn't know he was that stressed.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Just hope I can get drugs into him.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56They recover usually so well.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Yeah, they don't normally vomit.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03So, anyway, we can only wait and see and do what we can.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12You go and play with Jan.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Can he play with you for a while?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Thank you.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38Now that the government has bought up all the houses in a compulsory purchase scheme,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40the old estate is virtually deserted.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43A solitary family enjoy a last summer stroll
0:20:43 > 0:20:47before their house is demolished to make room for the penguins.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Look at the baby's head.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50She's sitting on him.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57We'll miss all this and the views.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02We probably can't come here unless we're here for a penguin parade.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05It's a wallaby.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08With the cars and the pets gone,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12many animals are moving back in.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15But tonight there's a new, unwelcome intruder on the block.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19A penguin's head's been chopped off by a fox.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30A fox has been spotted lurking near the penguin colony.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39The park has a dedicated team just to eradicate foxes -
0:21:39 > 0:21:44the biggest single threat to penguins on the island, apart from humans.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49If it's the right size and it's mouldable,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51fox poo.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Foxes were introduced by homesick English settlers a century ago.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59It's the rangers' job to get rid of them.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04There's one over there.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- Hey?- There's a fox over there.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Yeah, I see him. The winds are right behind so...- Yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The ranger makes a noise like an injured rabbit,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16to lure the fox within range.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19- A big dummy, that one.- Yeah.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I'll go over the road, eh? Yep.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29There's a fox over there.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46He smelled us.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48He's over there now, more to the left.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52WHISTLES
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Just hold it there.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11This feral fox has grown fat on penguins.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16They've killed, to stop more killing.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20- About five.- Really? It's only a cub, but it's pretty much adult weight.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23They're doing very well here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:34Tonight, at last, it's safe for Sammy and Tom to play among the surrounding burrows.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40Though big enough to be left alone each day, these dopey adolescents still have to grow street smart,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45which is a worry when they start wandering off towards the car park.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57Only a short walk, and a young penguin can get his first glimpse of a strange and unfamiliar species -
0:23:57 > 0:24:01international tourists.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Half a million penguin fans come here every year.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17They seem harmless enough, but the boys stick close anyway.
0:24:17 > 0:24:23We might see some, I think, if we come over...
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Maybe it's time to shuffle off home.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Sammy dares to look back and sees that his brother is gone.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00Young penguins will freeze stock still in the headlights at night.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Just as well it's a ranger who knows to wait.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19That's enough adventure for one night.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40It's taken two long weeks, but Foot, the penguin injured by fishing line,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42is now ready for release.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48He's recovered his appetite and he has learnt to walk again, in his own way.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50That's his last feed.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Six fish, send him on his way.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59One last thing - a microchip - so they'll know if he ever comes back.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Check and make sure it's in. Beautiful.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03He's got sort of a third of a foot,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06so it's not like he's completely legless.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Oh, what a gorgeous bird. You're going, in lovely wild weather.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- The ocean, wait till you see the ocean.- Oh, really?- It's huge.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21We like to do this in the morning
0:26:21 > 0:26:25so that he can get far enough off shore to make a decision whether
0:26:25 > 0:26:30to stay out there or to come in and re-establish his burrow tonight,
0:26:30 > 0:26:31with the other penguins.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34What a perfect day it is for it.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39So here's good.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Don't want to get wet.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47OK sweetheart, go and be safe, all right?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And avoid that fishing line.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53What's out there? What's out there?
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Go on, off you go.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57Bye-bye.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Bye.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I think he's on his way.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22He probably won't be seen again, unless another bad thing happens to him.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36Next, Sammy and Tom face a terrible crisis in their little lives.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41The colony is starving and penguin parents are forced to abandon their chicks in the quest for food.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46That chick's a shocking weight, there's no chance that it's going to survive.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49And a satellite tracker tells the research team
0:27:49 > 0:27:54how far these brave little birds will travel to save their young.
0:27:54 > 0:28:00Left alone for so long, can both Sammy and Tom survive?
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:28 > 0:28:31E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk