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

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