Rarest kiwi species reintroduced to New Zealand’s North Island

Return of rarest kiwi to North Island after hundreds of years absence

June 2012. Rowi, the world's rarest kiwi species, is returning to the North Island after an absence of hundreds of years.

Mana Island - Predator free
Twenty juvenile rowi will be going to Mana Island, near Wellington, to establish a new colony in the hope of improving the breeding prospects for the species. Normally they would be going home to Ōkārito, in South Westland, from their crèche on Motuara Island in Queen Charlotte Sound.

"By sending a juvenile population north to predator-free Mana Island, we're making it possible for the rowi to breed with much less human interference," says Iain Graham, BNZ Operation Nest Egg^TM Ranger.

"We expect that the absence of predator pressure, better breeding conditions and less competition for territories will ensure that the Mana Island rowi produce a high number of chicks that can eventually become part of the home population in Ōkārito."

Eggs hatched and reared in safety
The Department of Conservation removed the 20 rowi eggs from the Ōkārito forest to protect them from predators - stoats and other introduced pests - as part of BNZ Operation Nest Egg^TM. After they were hatched at the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef, the chicks were raised to maturity on predator-free Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. The juveniles are now ready for their long term OE. The rowi will be transferred by New Zealand Air Force helicopter from Ngāti Toa Domain across to Mana Island.

Rowi population growing
Thanks to conservation efforts led by DOC and the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust, rowi numbers have slowly been increasing from a low of fewer than 200 birds in 2007.

Pest control in Ōkārito forest is ongoing but reinvasion rates of stoats and rats mean that supplementing natural breeding using the BNZ Operation Nest Egg^TM programme has guaranteed a better level of success in producing young adult rowi.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/rowi-kiwi.html#cr

Big jump in kiwi numbers

Kiwis' future is sounding good - Call count monitoring reveals sudden increase in numbers

March 2012: New Zealand conservationists are - literally - ‘hearing' that the Northland kiwi thriving.

An annual ‘listening' for the bird's distinctive call in 2011, showed the highest level of growth since listening records began.

‘We recorded growth at all of the original core sites and at all but one of the 12 supplementary clusters,' says Department of Conservation Whangarei kiwi ranger Emma Craig.

‘This is an absolutely fantastic result, much better than I would have hoped, and a real credit to all those people across Northland involved in kiwi call count monitoring, and kiwi conservation in general,' she added.

'Numbers have gone through the roof'Kiwi are up against a lot of hurdles, and have a suite of predators including dogs, stoats, ferrets, and cats. Luckily, these predators can be addressed, and when they are, some kiwi populations are booming.

‘We are seeing quite a few sites where kiwi conservation has been happening for less than a decade. Call rates had been increasing very slowly; then suddenly in 2011 they went through the roof,' says Ms Craig.

She credits much of the increase to community groups protecting kiwi in their own backyards and, in particular, good dog control. BNZ Operation Nest Egg has also helped to re-establish kiwi populations in some areas.

It is only the adult kiwi that call, so kiwi call count monitoring picks up population growth a couple of years after it has occurred.

The annual kiwi call count monitoring takes place in May and June each year, with volunteers offering to sit at one of nearly 200 stations listening out for the birds for two hours a night.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kiwi-calling.html 

Critically Endangered kiwi chicks released on New Zealand's pest-free Pomona Island

Just 350 birds left in the wild
November 2011: Seven critically endangered Haast tokoeka (Otherwise known as the Haast brown kiwi, a subspecies of the South Island Brown Kiwi) have started a new life on Pomona Island in Lake Manapouri, New Zealand.

Releasing kiwi, our national icon, on Pomona is the culmination of six years hard work by members of the Te Anau/Manapouri community to remove pests from Pomona Island,' said John Whitehead, chair of the Pomona Island Trust. ‘It is a major milestone for us.'

Creating two pest-free sanctuariesThe total population of Haast tokeka is 350 birds - making them one of New Zealand's rarest kiwi, together with the critically endangered rowi from Okarito, about 150 km north of Haast. The trust has worked for the past three years with New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC) to protect Haast tokoeka on nearby Rona Island. This is the first time that kiwi have been released on Pomona.

‘We have been impressed with the professionalism and dedication of members of the Pomona Island Charitable Trust,' said Neil Freer, Haast Tokoeka Kiwi team leader. ‘They have worked hard to create two island sanctuaries on Lake Manapouri to help protect not only the kiwi but other endangered species such as the mohua. This is proving to be a great partnership between DOC and a committed community group to bring about some great results for critically endangered species.'

To help ensure the survival of this special bird, DOC is managing the Haast Tokoeka population with the help of BNZ Operation Nest Egg. This involves rescuing eggs from the wild, incubating and then releasing them in predator-free environments.

Now safely releasted on to Pomona, it is hoped that the young birds will pair up, breed successfully and produce healthy wild-hatched chicks that will increase the tokoeka population.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/haast-tokoeka.html

White kiwi chick hatched

Manukura - the little white kiwi. from Mike Heydon on Vimeo.

Last updated 11:46 24/05/2011

A rare white kiwi chick has been born - the first to be hatched in captivity.

The chick, named Manukura, is not an albino but the rare offspring of some North Island brown kiwi from Little Barrier Island.

He was born at the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, 24km north of Masterton, on May 1, weighing approximately 250 grams.

The Little Barrier Island kiwi were transferred to Pukaha in May last year.

Elders from the Rangitane o Wairarapa iwi gave the chick his name, which means "of chiefly status".

Rangitane chief executive Jason Kerehi said tribal elders saw the white chick as a "tohu" or "sign" of new beginnings.

"Every now and then something extraordinary comes along to remind you of how special life is," Kerehi said. "While we're celebrating all 14 kiwi hatched this year, Manukura is a very special gift."

Manukura is being hand-reared in Pukaha Mount Bruce's new kiwi nursery. He will remain in the nursery until the end of May, where visitors can view him in his nocturnal brooder box and at his daily weigh-in at 2pm.

The white chick will then remain in captivity with other chicks at Pukaha for at least four to six months. When it is old enough to protect itself, it could potentially be released into the sanctuary.

Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers, who manage the kiwi programme at Pukaha, will ensure the best interests of the bird remain a priority.

"A white kiwi might really stand out making it more vulnerable," said DOC area manager Chris Lester.

"We want to ensure that as many people as possible get a chance to see it, and that we keep it as safe as possible."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/cutestuff/5047359/White-kiwi-chick-hatched

Scientists look at deodorant for New Zealand's smelly birds

WELLINGTON – Scientists say they are hoping to develop a deodorant for New Zealand's native birds to stop them falling prey to introduced predators.

New Zealand has an abundance of native bird species, including the famous kiwi, but no native land mammals, meaning introduced animals such as cats and stoats have had a devastating impact on bird numbers.

Canterbury University reseacher Jim Briskie said Friday it appeared New Zealand birds suffered from body odor, making them an easy target for predators.

Briskie said unlike their overseas counterparts, which evolved alongside mammals, New Zealand birds emitted a strong smell when preened to produce wax to protect their feathers.

He said the kiwi smelled like mushrooms or ammonia, while the flightless kakapo parrot's odor was like "musty violin cases", possibly contributing to its endangered status.

The Marsden scientific research fund has given Briskie a 600,000 New Zealand dollar ($440,000) grant to study native bird body odors over the next three years in the hope of making them less exposed to predators.

"Down the line, if we do find some species are particularly smelly or vulnerable, perhaps I can design a deodorant for kiwis," he told the Dominion Post newspaper.

Bird with two broken legs gets treadmill rehab

August 6, 2010

A clumsy kiwi bird with two broken legs is being given rehabilitation treatment -- including treadmill sessions.

The runtish bird was originally taken to vets when it was found in a bad condition in New Zealand in December.

Dubbed Piwi, the bird had a broken leg that had healed badly and vets were left with no option other than to re-break it and straighten it.

But shortly after it was taken to a wildlife park for rehabilitation the dopey bird somehow broke it's other leg resulting in a visit to Massey University's Wildlife Ward.

Once there it was given rehabilitation treatment including 'running' on a treadmill… and it didn't even need to pay an excessive gym joining fee.

LINKS
Massey University

http://newslite.tv/2010/08/06/bird-with-two-broken-legs-gets.html

Hunters may have lit fires next to kiwi

By GILES BROWN - The Press
Last updated 05:00 09/02/2010

Residents of a tiny West Coast town believe irresponsible hunters may be behind nearby scrub fires which endangered the world's rarest kiwi.

Six fires damaged more than 10 hectares of swampland near Okarito, north of Franz Josef, at the weekend.

The area is a sanctuary for 350 rowi, or Okarito brown kiwi, and part of BNZ's Operation Nest Egg mission to protect the birds.

The arson has aroused anger in Okarito with some saying it could be the work of hunters hoping to encourage new growth to attract deer.

Richard Saunders, owner of Okarito Nature Tours, said suspicion fell on hunters about two years ago when there were fires in the same area.

"The regrowth attracts deer and then they can drive by and shoot them from the ute. It's incredibly lazy hunting."

Ian Cooper, who takes people into the bush to learn about the birds with his company Okarito Kiwi Tours, said there was a "tradition" of hunters having burnoffs to attract their prey.

"They might think it's the right thing to do because it's not going to endanger the forest but go into the swamp and attract the deer, especially at this time of year with the roar coming on."

However, Cooper, who hunts in the area, said many hunters would be horrified if that was the case.

One hunter, who did not want to be named, said it was unlikely hunters were responsible because deer did not graze on swampland and would not be attracted by regrowth there. "No self-respecting hunter would do that. Anyone who did that wants dealing to," the man said.

Yesterday, Iain Graham, DOC's Operation Nest Egg ranger for the area, used transmitting equipment to confirm two pairs of birds that lived near the fires were still alive.

Because fires were set at night the kiwi were likely to have been out foraging and would not be trapped in their burrows and unable to escape.

"We can't understand why anyone would want to do this in a national park. I'm a hunter myself and I can't understand why anyone would do that because the deer don't spend time out there," Graham said.

A plane with detection equipment would fly over the 11,000ha sanctuary in the next week and confirm if any of the 120 birds DOC monitored had been killed.

Constable Paul Gurney, of Franz Josef, said he was keeping an open mind over who the culprits may be. "Inexperienced hunters might try that sort of thing to get the growth back. But there's plenty of people who have ill-will towards DOC. Someone knows who's done this and if they've a shred of decency they should tell us who it
is."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/west-coast/3305278/Hunters-may-have-lit-fires-next-to-kiwi

Lucky to be alive - tokoeka kiwi chick - Button

RIGHT: Zoologist, Corry-Ann Geuze Langford with Button, the lucky Haast tokoeka kiwi chick. Photo by Ian Gill.

Friday, 2 October 2009, 5:26 pm
Press Release: Department of Conservation

Cute as a button and lucky to be alive a Haast Tokoeka kiwi chick has cheated certain death thanks to an intricate operation at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch.

Trapped and unable to turn its beak inside the egg “Button” was badly positioned and unable to get its beak into the vital air cell at the other end of the egg needed to hatch.

It was the equivalent of a breach-birth and without intervention the outcome was certain death.

Zoologist, Corry-Ann Geuze Langford, took on the nerve-wracking job of opening a gap in the shell just big enough to cut through layers of delicate membranes riddled with vital blood vessels so that Button’s beak could reach the air.

After several hours of intense work Button was breathing, no blood vessels had been severed and there were hugs all round the kiwi hatching facility.

“It was such a relief after such a stressful process to see the chick was breathing,” Corry-Ann said.

Still in the shell, Button spent another two days absorbing the egg yoke before Corry-Ann removed the remaining shell one-tiny-piece-at-a-time using tweezers and a whole lot of patience.

Button is one of 11 kiwi eggs and two chicks that the Department of Conservation has rescued from the Haast Tokoeka Kiwi Sanctuary so far this breeding season using BNZ Operation Nest Egg.

Corry-Ann said Button was a very lucky kiwi chick having been removed from the wild where 90 per cent of kiwi chicks are killed by stoats and then surviving an impossible hatch that would have killed it without intervention.

“It’s definitely a chick that can thank the BNZ save the Kiwi and the New Zealand Conservation Trust who set up the kiwi facility for us here at Willowbank,” she said.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0910/S00048.htm