2020-03-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

Tula,thePenguin
ProtectorRetires

A

fterspending
nineyears
protecting
Australia’sfamed
penguincolonyon
MiddleIsland,Victoria,
Tulathemaremmais
hangingupherlead.
Tula,withsister
Eudy’shelp,hasbeen
guardingthebreeding
penguinssinceshewas
justtwoyearsoldas
partoftheMiddleIsland
Project– theproject,
thatinspiredthemovie
Oddball. Nowaged11,
shehasarthritisand
PatriciaCorbett,the
project’scoordinator,
says that getting up the

hasbecomedifficult.

Maremmas,bredto

protectflocksofsheep,

werefirstplacedonthe

islandin 2006 toprotect

thepenguinsfromthe

foxesthatmaketheir

wayfromtheforeshore

totheislandatlowtide.

At the time, fewer than

Despitebeingslower

thansheoncewas,Tula

willnotbestepping

awayfromherroleas

protector.Maremmas

likea taskandherswill

beprotectingchickens

ata farmaswellas

helpingtrainyounger

guardian dogs.

StrokeRehabilitation

S

trokepatientsandtherapists

inNewZealandhavegiven

augmentedreality(AR)

technologythethumbsupafter

a trial by the University of Otago

founditworkedby‘fooling’the

brainaboutwhatitsees.

Strokepatientsputtheirhands

intoseparateblackboxesanduse

thefunctioninghandtoperform

certainexercises,suchasgripping.

TheARtechnologyprovidesthe

patientwitha reflectionoftheir

functioninghandona screen,and

mirrorsthemovementonthenon-

functioninghandsoitappearsthat

theimpairedhandismakingthe

movements.Thishasbeenshownto

help‘rewire’thepatient’sbrainand

canleadtoincreasedmovement in

their damaged limb.

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