A group of 100 tīeke, or South Island saddlebacks, has been relocated to Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin in an effort to restore their population on the South Island.
Once widespread, these native birds faced near extinction in the 20th century, with their habitat reduced to three small islands near Stewart Island.
The tīeke population suffered a major setback in the 1960s when rats accidentally arrived on Big South Cape Island, spreading to other nearby habitats. Conservationists acted quickly to save the species, relocating the remaining birds to predator-free islands. Today, over 2,000 tīeke are descended from those survivors.
Lyn Carter, a member of Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka Ki Puketeraki, described the birds’ excitement during their release into the sanctuary. “They just seemed so pleased to be in a habitat they’re familiar with,” she said. This marks the first successful return of tīeke to the South Island after a failed translocation attempt 10 years ago due to a stoat invasion.
To help the birds settle, the wings of 25 tīeke were clipped, limiting their ability to fly long distances while still allowing them to explore their new environment. Operations manager Elton Smith called the project an emotional “full circle” moment, as Orokonui Ecosanctuary is now the only place on the mainland where these birds can be seen and heard.
very interesting
I loved reading it because, I never knew that maybe chocolate might be gone in the future!
save the chocolate…
I enjoyed this reading because
it show what climate changes does!!
they might have to move most chocolate into a colder place, since the climate clock is getting low
so temperature might get higher.
i love chocolate
I’m allergic to dairy, but this makes me sad for my best friends all around NZ (don’t think it’s weird because I actually do). And my chocolate loving cousin, her name is Dana (I’m from South Korea and she told me how to spell her name in Korean but its not pronounced like Dana).
I know that there are chocolate lovers around the world so, poor them or if you like chocolate poor you (even though I’m allergic to dairy, or to make it easy dairy products: cheese, milk, butter etc).