Recognised at one time as probably THE most endangered bird on the planet, I was sad to hear of two young female kakapo that have been found dead - one on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, the other on Anchor Island in Fiordland. Kakapo Recovery programme manager Deidre Vercoe Scott said the two birds were discovered by rangers doing transmitter changes during the weekend.
The first, Purity, hatched during the bumper 2009 breeding season. It was estimated she had been dead around ten days. The other, Monoa, which hatched in 2002, was found Sunday on Anchor Island. She had been dead for quite some time, indicating the two deaths were not linked, after initial basic autopsies there were no obvious causes, and scientists are currently carrying out further examinations to hopefully discover the potential reasons surrounding the fatalities.
Not all news is bad news, as the success of the Kakapo Recovery Centre has displayed, with their work of the past 21 years almost tripling Kakapo numbers from a worldwide population of just 49, up to a healthy breeding population of 131 this year. Making us remember, that with increased breeding and numbers, there will be an undoubtable rise in mortality rates, though the kakapo is still a critically endangered species and very vulnerable.
"While it is such a shame to lose two young females, it's a fact that, as kakapo numbers increase, we can expect a natural increase in mortality rates for a variety of reasons. The good news is more than half the kakapo population is young breeding age birds, so the recovery of kakapo is still in good shape."
- Deidre Vercoe Scott, Kakapo Recovery Centre Manager
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