A viewing platform could be built in St Kilda to protect a colony of little blue penguins after two of the birds were attacked, one fatally.

A little blue penguin covered in blood was found by an Earthcare volunteer inside a fenced-off area created for the birds’ protection about 1.30am on Good Friday, after it had been attacked by a group of young men.

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The volunteer was not qualified to handle the protected species to get it help, and efforts to find the injured animal since have been unsuccessful, says Earthcare St Kilda president Terry Lobert.

Lobert said the Friday morning attack came a couple of weeks after volunteers found a dead penguin that had been attacked by another group.

He said the violence against the defenceless birds was disturbing.

Parks Victoria’s Melbourne regional director Chris Hardman said the penguins at St Kilda were protected native wildlife and a tourist attraction, and efforts to better protect the colony were being looked into.

“We’ve done some preliminary planning to look at how we could manage the site including fencing, a controlled entry point, and establishing a viewing platform that separates people and penguins,” he said.

“Parks Victoria has recently met with Philip Island Nature Reserve to seek advice on the best way forward.”

Mr Hardman said Parks Victoria would work with Earthcare and other volunteers to get a better solution for the penguins.

He also said the department would work with Victoria Police to prosecute anyone who attacked the penguins.