Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Aussie Snipers Guard Penguins

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 17, 2009 4:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sharpshooters with night-vision goggles have been dispatched to protect a penguin colony near Sydney, Australia, the BBC reports. The mutilated bodies of nine fairy penguins—the world's smallest penguin species at just 15 inches high—from the vulnerable colony have been found over the last two weeks. Wildlife officials have ruled out human involvement in the deaths and suspect foxes, dogs, or both.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (1)]

A fairy penguin walks past the boardwalk at Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

Fairy penguins are the world's smallest penguin species. (©rumpleteaser)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Efforts are being made to catch the mystery predator killing off Sydney's penguins. (clipsyndicate.com)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Beer Cooler, GPS Beacon Save 4 at Sea

Two men and their sons stayed afloat long enough for rescue

(NEWSER) - Two friends and their sons were saved from drowning by some quick thinking and an unlikely hero: a beer cooler. Scott Smiles and Rick Matthews were on a fishing trip with their 11-year-old sons off the coast of Sydney, Australia, yesterday, when their 40-foot boat started on fire five miles out to sea, reports ABC News . Smiles tossed the cooler overboard as a flotation device, grabbed a GPS emergency beacon, and the group jumped into the 200-feet-deep water. They were able to stay afloat for the 45 minutes it took a rescue chopper to reach them. More»

Cafe Customer Leaves $1M Stuffed in Suitcase

Aussie cops have some questions

(NEWSER) - Sydney police don't know why a man left a suitcase stuffed with cash in an upscale cafe—but they're pretty sure it wasn't a tip. The customer at Caffe Marco ordered a coffee but walked out after spending less than five minutes in the eatery, and left his suitcase behind. Workers fearing the abandoned suitcase contained a bomb called police, who discovered that it contained some $1 million in cash, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More»

12-Hour Aussie Standoff Ends, Girl Safe

Police forced their way into law office after negotiations faltered

(NEWSER) - A 12-hour standoff has ended in Australia after police forced their way into the Sydney law office where a man, who claimed he had a bomb in his backpack, was holding his daughter hostage . The move was made after negotiations began to break down, say police. The 12-year-old girl has been returned to her family, and the backpack is currently being examined. The 52-year-old man's name has not yet been released. The AP notes that the drama began after he entered the reception area of the law office and demanded twice to see someone who an employee had never heard of. He then threw a book at her and walked into an office. Click for more details . More»

'Backpack Bomber' Has Daughter in Aussie Standoff

He's holed up in law offices near family court

(NEWSER) - A ranting Australian claiming to be armed with a backpack bomb is holding his daughter hostage in law offices near a courthouse in a Sydney suburb. Workers in nearby offices have been evacuated, and police and rescue workers are standing by as officials negotiate with him. The unidentified man earlier entered the offices with a girl of about 10 who called him dad. He demanded the receptionist call an employee—along with the state attorney general's office. "Tell them I've got a bomb in my backpack," he said, then walked to a lawyer's office with the girl. More»

Australian Towns Impose Curfews — on Cats

Deputy mayor's son becomes possums' hero

(NEWSER) - After attacks on native wildlife, the Sydney area is putting its cats on a leash: Under a new rule, they’ll have to be inside from dusk to dawn, Reuters reports. The decision came after a deputy mayor’s son saved a parent and baby possum from a cat. In the past year, some 564 cat attacks on possums have been reported. “It's a small thing to ask people to keep their cats indoors if it means protecting our native wildlife,” says the suburban Sydney official. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website