St Kilda penguins harassed by selfie sticks
St Kilda's penguin colony is under threat from snap-happy tourists who are taking flash photos of the birds using selfie sticks.
Guide Susie Parker told 3AW that tourists are jamming the probes into burrows to capture the perfect shot, but the close-ups are upsetting the penguins and could potentially injure them.
"The selfie stick's not really the problem, it's the flash on the camera that's coming out," she said.
"Penguins don't have eyelids, so they can't blink and their eyes are very sensitive."
Although the flightless birds are not afraid of humans, they can be easily startled and stressed from visitors invading their space.
