Captive-Bred Teal Moved

By MCCARTHY, Phil

THE last 10 captive-bred Campbell Island teal from Mt Bruce in the North Island have been transferred to Whenua Hou-Codfish Island near Stewart Island.

The Department of Conservation said the transfer marked the end of a 23-year-captive breeding programme at the national wildlife centre in the Wairarapa.

The recovery of the species had been dependent on the captive breeding programme and the successful reintroduction of captive- bred birds into the wild.

“It’s a bittersweet day for a captive breeding ranger,” DOC biodiversity programme manager Rosemary van Der Lee said.

The teal recovery programme started in 1984 after three males and one female were transferred to Mt Bruce from their refuge on 26ha rat-free Dent Island, 3km west of Campbell Island in the sub- Antarctic.

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