Kakapo back to nest after 21 years
The flightless nocturnal bird was one of four male kakapo released on the 1400ha conservation sanctuary, near Stewart Island, in 1987 without a transmitter. He had not been seen since.
Kakapo ranger Chris Birmingham told the Sunday Star-Times he was surprised to hear a male booming, its unique resonant mating call, near South Bay, where no kakapo had been detected before.
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It was only then that he realised the bird’s significance because it wore a numbered metal band on his leg. Incredibly, Rangi survived two aerial poison drops during Codfish Island’s rat eradication in 1998.
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By yesterday, 17 female kakapo had mated, seven had nested and 14 eggs laid, but more nests, eggs and matings were expected daily for weeks to come.
source: stuff.co.nz
Vet first to artificially inseminate a kakapo
Last month, Dr Blanco artificially inseminated a kakapo, making him the first person to successfully perform the procedure on a wild endemic, endangered bird.
Dr Blanco said the purpose was to ensure genetic diversity among kakapo on the island, where only two male birds were the dominant breeders.
source: stuff.co.nz
according to the first article, they were using sperm of Richard Henry – the only surviving kakapo from fjordland, which is believed to be more than 70 years old.