20 little spotted kiwi (kiwi
pukupuku) from Kapiti Island were released at Shakespear Open Sanctuary on
March 3.
Twenty new little spotted kiwi
(kiwi pukupuku) were released at Shakespear Open Sanctuary on March
4.
They have come from Kapiti
Island to join the other cohort of little spotted kiwi which were brought
to the sanctuary last year.
The new kiwi will offer some
genetic mixing to give the population its best chance of
survival, Auckland Council Senior Ranger
Open Sanctuaries Matt Maitland said.
Just 45 minutes north of the CBD
around 550,000 people visit Shakespear Regional Park each year.
Those visiting the park will be
able to hear the kiwi calling, as they are very territorial, Maitland said.
Sossi member Ginnie Quartel with
Minnie Clark from Ngati Toa (Kapiti Island), where the birds all came from, and
senior ranger Matt Maitland.
All of the birds have been fitted
with radio transmitters and, for the next couple of months, will be
tracked and monitored every day by volunteers.
In April 2017, 10 birds each from
Kapiti Island and Tiritiri Matangi Island were released. These have settled in
well, and indications are that they've started breeding.
Until recently these
kiwi were only able to be trans-located to five other islands. However,
with island sanctuaries now at capacity, this new mainland population is
critical to their survival, DOC translocation project manager Angus
Hulme-Moir said at the time of the release.
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