Australian Sheepdog Enters Retirement After Guarding Penguins For Eight Years On Middle Island

Oct 21, 2019 by apost team

In Australia’s Middle Island, an adorable sheepdog, Tula, has retired from her job as the penguin protector.

This island, which is located near Warrnambool, has been guarded by Tula for the past eight years.

Tula now, after spending many long days protecting, wants to relax in the sun without having to ward off predators from pinching the adorable penguins that are on the island.

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The Middle Island Penguin Project made a statement saying that Tula and her sister Eudy were truly crucial in making the project so successful. They are the heroes behind this project.

The staff also wanted to thank Tula for her work. She is very loved by everyone on the project staff along with the Warrnambool community. They are very appreciative of her work to make the project a success.

While Tula is retiring from protecting the Middle Island, she is still going to be on the job but now protecting the chickens at a farm. She will also help train younger dogs to learn to protect as well.

Tula is still well known as the best penguin guardian and was a very good dog all those eight years.

To thank her for her service, Tula was given a dog-friendly cake as a reward for the milestone. Any other retirement party would be jealous.

The Middle Island is the home of birds such as the Little Penguin, the Black-faced Cormorant, and the Short-tailed Shearwater. The Little Penguin has declined rapidly over the last years, going from 600 in 1999 to an estimated less than 10 by 2005.

These Maremma Guardian Dogs were trained to protect the penguins from predators like foxes. The population has now been rebuilt to over 100 penguins there now today.

Tula was two years old when she was trained on warding off these penguin predators. The award-winning project has used her along with breeding monitoring and improved habitats to repopulate the species. Now at 11, Tula is ready to pass on the baton. She has a bit of arthritis and is ready to relax and rest.

What do you think about this story? Do you agree that Tula definitely deserved her retirement cake? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along!