New Zealand was largely untouched as an island until very late in human history- the first settlers were the Maori, who came in around the 13th century. For comparison, this was well into the Middle Ages in Europe. This allowed thousands of endemic species to grow unbothered which, like with the Galapagos Islands, led to some really interesting creatures. In the case of New Zealand, there are no native mammals (except some tiny bats) which has let the birds really shine and grow in unique ways.
One of the first to go was the Moa, a huge ostrich-like bird that the Maori hunted to extinction. We saw a Moa skeleton in Auckland. HUGE.
Things got even worse when the Europeans showed up in the 17th century. They brought more rats and also rabbits, possums, stoats, deer, and feral cats. It was one of those hilarious and idiotic situations where Europeans released rabbits which multiplied like crazy, and then they released stoats to kill the rabbits, which multiplied like crazy... etc, etc. Possums were released to start a fur trade, which does actually make sense- brushtail possums have some of the softest fur I've ever felt. But-- they multiplied like crazy. The deer were released to make it seem more like home, and they multiplied like crazy. While they don't kill the birds, they are a serious competition for food. Now New Zealand has a huge problem where hundreds of endemic species are going extinct or have gone extinct because of these introduced predators.
The original European settlers intended to make a English Pastoral Paradise, which largely worked- they burned about 90% of the native bush and turned it into pasture for sheep and cows. So, in addition to losing many native animals, New Zealanders have lost many native plants.
What's interesting now is what the New Zealanders are doing about it. The entire country is banding together to get back as much as they can of their native heritage. First, they started with the islands off the coast- trapping and poisoning rats, stoats, possums, and feral cats. Gradually, they've been able to clear more and more islands- and bigger and bigger islands- of mammals. Then they've moved the endangered animals in. To facilitate this, they're often even trying to wipe out non-native plants and allow only native plants free reign. New Zealand is VERY careful about what visitors and tourists bring to the country and especially to these islands when they visit. You have to wash your boots before stepping on them, in case any seeds have hitched a ride, and they even ask you to check your bag for rats.
The idea is that, if they can refine their techniques on these islands- and allow native species to get their numbers up on these islands- maybe eventually they can clear the mainland and let the native species come back. They're beginning the process even now, by keeping rat traps and poisons on almost every tramp we've done. The commonly used poison is called 1080 and it comes from plants, though it can be developed synthetically. It is fully biodegradable. Many New Zealanders are specifically trying to clear their own property. The government will also subsidize the planting of native trees, which we saw when we were to visit Summer's sister Canada near Nelson. They had just planted nearly 200 native trees on their land, and the government subsidized almost half.
Some of the endangered species I've been learning about include the Black Robin, the Takahe, the Tui, the Kakapo, and of course the Kiwi. These are only a few of the success stories of species brought back from the brink in New Zealand.
Now, there are 250 black robins- all related to Old Blue- and the species is no longer so aggressively managed by humans. I learned about these guys in a book John lent me called Don Merton: The Man Who Saved the Black Robin, and I recommend it!
New Zealanders thought the Takahe was extinct after the last few were seen in 1898. In 1948, a search effort was planned by Geoffrey Orbell to try to find them, on the off chance there were any left-- and success! The Takahe was rediscovered near Te Anau in Fiordland. It is a beautiful, colorful flightless bird. Their near extinction was largely because of hunting by the Maori and Europeans for food, competition for food from deer, and predation by rats and stoats. Some Takahe still live in the wild near Fiordland, but most have been relocated to predator-free offshore islands, where they can be seen by some lucky people. Deer are aggressively hunted in Fiordland, in part to help the Takahe out.
We have not seen a Takahe, but we might get a chance to later in our trip! We did see a Pukeko on the road on our first drive down to Duvauchelle in the banks peninsula. Pukeko are closely related to Takahe, but they have adapted better to current NZ conditions and are not endangered. |
We did see this beautiful street art in Christchurch. I think the reintroduction of the Tui to the Bank Peninsula, which of course is located just outside Christchurch, can be viewed by many Christchurch-ians as a metaphor for their hopeful resurgence after the earthquake.
Kakapo are large flightless parrots that look like owls. They are one of the world's most ancient birds. Instead of a beautiful song, they make a skraaaaaak noise, and they also "ching". When they mate, males dig out a bowl and use it to "boom"- they make a booming noise to attract females and the bowl helps carry the boom for kilometers. You can hear their noises here. Kakapo also have a very distinct scent, which is described as musty (this hasn't been helpful against predators.) They are very long-lived birds, as the oldest known Kakapo lived to be 90 and it's possible that they can live longer. They breed only every few years when the Rimu tree flowers and the food is plentiful. The reach the food by climbing and jumping. Kakapo are also very sociably birds (with humans- not so much with each other), and luckily they tolerate human intervention well. And here is this glorious beast:
The one Kakapo that survived being removed from Fiordland was named Richard Henry, and he has been very instrumental in saving the species. He has genetic differences to the Stewart Island Kakapos, and luckily, even though he was very old, he was able to breed and father 3 surviving chicks. His DNA will add genetic diversity to the population.
The current Kakapo population stands at 126. Humans aren't allowed to view them in the wild, but there is one Kakapo named Sirocco who was raised by humans because he developed a life-threatening respiratory infection in the nest. He imprinted on humans rather than birds, so rather than becoming a breeder he is now a representative for his species. He is GREAT.
Here are some awesome kakapos just hanging out.
Kiwis are nocturnal, but there is some thought that this may be due to introduced predators. When they are transferred to predator-free islands they are often seen during the day. The feathers are described as hair-like, and you can usually tell where they are in the wild because of a snuffling sound they make when searching for food. They're the only birds that have nostrils on the end of their beaks!
Hilariously (and because the Kiwi is such a powerful symbol for New Zealanders), the Air Force uses them as their mascot. They can't fly.
We will be going to Stewart Island soon to do the Rakiera Great Walk, and there is a good chance we'll get to see Southern Brown Kiwi in the wild! We might also to see one of the rarest kinds, the Little Spotted Kiwi, at the Zealandia Wildlife Reserve in Wellington when we go there to see Sirocco Kakapo. :)
<3Lizzy