Kākāpō chicks safely home and doing well

Date: 07 July 2008

The six kākāpō chicks, which thousands of people took the opportunity to meet, are settling in well following their recent return home to Codfish Island/Whenua Hou.

More than 8000 people saw the newest additions to the small but increasing kākāpō population at the Invercargill and Nelson public viewings held last month.

All of the chicks were removed from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, at a few weeks old to be hand raised as there was not enough natural food for their mothers to raise them.

Getting the chicks home safely was a major relief for the National Kākāpō Recovery Team. The team had worked tirelessly over the previous three months, with many sleepless nights after three of the chicks became ill. Fortunately they recovered and are doing well.

While there are still risks, as is the case for any young animal when it goes out on its own, being on predator free Codfish Island and still under the watchful eye of a team of dedicated DOC staff, means that they are as safe as they can be.

There were no problems with the trip from Invercargill to Codfish, said Deidre Vercoe, Technical Support Officer on the Kākāpō Team, who escorted the chicks home.

Chris Birmingham with the kākāpō chicks

The chicks will spend the next month in a large outdoor pen being fed increasing amounts of natural food before being slowly introduced to the wild where they will have to care for themselves.

This breeding season has shown that birds as young as six years old can breed successfully so it is hoped that these chicks may themselves be parents around 2014.

Signs are looking very favourable for another, even better, breeding season next year with potentially up to 40 chicks being produced.

"There are still a lot of things that could happen between now and then, but it is really exciting," Ms Vercoe said.

"We could have nearly a 50 per cent increase in the world population of kākāpō in one year which would be a huge step in the recovery of the species."

The Kākāpō Recovery Programme is a partnership between the Department of Conservation, Rio Tinto Alcan NZ Ltd and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society.

Additional information

• The sex of the six kākāpō chicks, now three months old, is three female and three male.
• These chicks bring the population to 91.
• In March/April 2008, seven kākāpō chicks hatched on Whenua Hou.
• In mid April the seven chicks were transferred to special facilities in Nelson to ensure their survival. Unfortunately one died of natural complications.
• Twenty percent of the kākāpō population has been hand raised.
• Kākāpō thought to breed at about 9 to 10 years, however two six-year-olds bred this year.
• Kākāpō blend in very well with the surrounding vegetation. You can be within 1m of one and sometimes not see it.
• Today, all remaining kākāpō are on Anchor Island in southwest Fiordland and Whenua Hou/Codfish Island near Stewart Island/Rakiura.
• The National Kākāpō Team is a small group of dedicated Department of Conservation staff who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the birds.
• Up to four full-time staff work on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island year-round making sure the birds are safe, healthy and well-fed. They only see or handle kākāpō once or twice a year for their regular health checks.

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