JOHN
BISSET/STUFF
51
young Black Stilts were released into the wild at the head of Lake Tekapo on
Tuesday.
The
last captive juvenile kaki – the rarest wading bird in the world – ventured
into the wild for their first time in the Mackenzie Basin.
Fifty-one
of the birds were released onto the Godley Delta, at the head of Lake Tekapo on
Mt Gerald Station, on Tuesday afternoon.
The
9-month-old kaki were released by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and
pupils from St Andrew's College in Christchurch.
The
boxes open and kaki, or black stilts, are released into the wild at the head of
Lake Tekapo.
Their
release meant there were now no juvenile kaki left in captivity ahead of the
next breeding season, DOC aviculturist Liz Brown said.
There
are 106 adult kaki in the wild and five adult breeding pairs in captivity. Two
of those pairs were in Twizel and three were in Christchurch, she said.
DOC
biodiversity senior ranger Dean Nelson said the release of the birds was
"very cool"; it was "like all our hard work has come to
fruition".
Tuesday
was the fourth date to be scheduled for the release. The other dates were
affected by rain or high winds.
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