Cattle stomp in critically-endangered bird habitat

CHARLIE MITCHELL

Last updated 08:12, October 11 2016

 Cattle have been photographed on the nesting ground of one of the world's most endangered species, the Black Stilt/Kaki, which has as little as 70 adults left in the wild. 

Cattle have been spotted grazing and defecating near a breeding area for one of the world's most endangered birds.

An environmental lobby group says it is a terrible look for the Mackenzie ecological area.

A marauding cattle herd was photographed last month walking freely along the Hopkins river bed, near Mount Cook.

Cattle were seen grazing in the Hopkins river, near a breeding site for the critically endangered black stilt.

They had unrestricted access to the river bed, which breaks the rules of the property's pastoral lease.

Poo could be seen scattered amongst the otherwise untarnished landscape beneath the Southern Alps.

The area is home to the kaki/black stilt, the world's rarest wading bird. There are between 70 and 90 adult kaki in the wild. 

It is one step away from extinction.

Kaki breed exclusively in the braided rivers around the Mackenzie Basin.

Continued and video