Photo: suppliedAfter "tragic" losses at the only mainland northern royal albatross colony during breeding last year, things are looking positive with 29 chicks hatched this summer. Otago Peninsula Trust Ecotourism Manager Hoani Langsbury said: "At this stage all the chicks have hatched and our breeding survival is 29 chicks in the colony. The Northern Royal Albatross population on the Chatham Island is between 23,000 and 27,000, Mr Langsbury said. Otago Peninsula Trust General Manager Robyn McDonald said in a January statement that the trust was "concerned about increasingly hot summers and the effect it has on albatross chicks. "We certainly think we're going to need that in the next few years if temperatures keep increasing," Mr Langsbury said.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 28, 2019 06:33 UTC