DOC's work with kākāpō
The Department of Conservation has the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. The programme is run in partnership with Rio Tinto Alcan (NZ), and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. Its aim is to establish at least one self sustaining unmanaged population of kākāpō in a protected habitat and to establish two or more other populations which may require ongoing management.
Recently hatched kakapo chick
Breeding success
2009 was a major breeding season on Whenua Hou, and the most successful breeding year since the start of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. 36 chicks hatched and 33 survived to fledging. 26 of these chicks had to be hand-raised because the rimu crop failed to ripen, leaving an inadequate natural food supply.
Supplementary food
An exciting finding was that six of the mothers were able to raise their chicks in the nests by feeding them the supplementary food provided to them by staff and volunteers. The kākāpō team is striving to find the 'perfect' supplementary food that ALL mothers are happy to provide to their chicks in years when the fruit crop fails. The current kākāpō population is 131, including 11 new chicks hatched this year.
Artificial Insemination (AI)
2009 was also the first year in which successful Artificial Insemination (AI) took place. Paternity tests confirmed AI, assisted by international bird reproduction expert Dr Juan Blanco, produced two chicks from two different females this breeding season. While successful AI has been achieved using freshly collected kākāpō sperm, the team continues its work towards cryopreservation as a management tool. The ability to store sperm longer term gives great hope for the ongoing genetic health of the species.
back to top
Contacts
DOC HOTline - 24 hour emergency number
Phone 0800 DOC HOTline (0800 362 468) to report:
Sick or injured wildlife
Whale or dolphin strandings