Back From Brink; BIRD BREEDING

By CREAN, Mike

New Zealand’s endangered orange kakariki are back from the brink, thanks to Operation Ark, a joint project of the Department of Conservation (DOC) and environmentalist Diana, Lady Isaac.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter yesterday honoured Isaac for the successful bird breeding programme at her Christchurch wildlife park. The programme has put nearly 100 kakariki chicks on Chalky Island, off Fiordland, and Maud Island, in the Marlborough Sounds.

The fast-maturing birds had already produced two generations of off-spring on the islands, Carter said.

After a tour of the bird- breeding houses yesterday, he presented Isaac with a framed certificate marking the achievement.

“Your team has done a marvellous job,” Carter said.

The birds bred at Isaac Wildlife Park were hatched from eggs collected by DOC officers in the Upper Waimakariri and Hurunui river catchments. Predators had slashed the numbers of kakariki in this habitat to fewer than 300. DOC staff had also taken steps to remove predators from the area.

When the birds could fend for themselves, DOC staff took them from the Isaac facility and released them on the predator- free islands. Four breeding pairs of kakariki remain at the park, as Operation Ark moves into its fifth year.

Among other endangered native birds at Isaac Wildlife Park are 10 whio (blue duck) ducklings, which hatched a week ago. They will be returned to the valley in Golden Bay.

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