Results: 2004-2007
Young whio
The birds and bats have done well:
- Whio are recovering along the 163km of river where trap lines are in place, from 16 to 49 birds in the last three years.
- In 2004 there were 700 counts of short-tailed bats leaving roosts in the Eglinton valley. In 2007, the figure was close to 1200.
- From 2004 to 2006 call counts of mōhua during a five-minute period increased from 225 to 325, in the Landsborough valley.
- Orange-fronted kākāriki numbers have remained stable with self-sustaining, back-stop populations established on Chalky and Maud Islands.
- Stoat trapping has worked well for whio, mōhua, kākāriki and bats.
- Two techniques have eliminated rat plagues at five sites: aerially-broadcast 1080 poison for the initial knock down, and bait stations using other poisons to keep rat numbers at low levels. Bait stations are laid every 150m on lines 100m apart, or are even more closely spaced. Mōhua, bats and kākāriki have benefited.
- Egg hatching and rearing in captivity has worked well for whio and kākāriki.