A kakapo that had successfully been treated for lead poisoning has died a day before it was due to be returned to an island sanctuary.
The male kakapo Lee was due to return to Codfish Island today but he died suddenly at Auckland Zoo last night from a small tear in the side of his crop, the sac-like part of the digestive system where food is stored before it enters the stomach.
Vets also discovered several areas of thinning in the crop wall, which they say could have predisposed Lee, an older bird of unknown age, to this type of injury.
"While working to repair this injury, Lee's heart stopped twice, but we managed to resuscitate him," said senior vet Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff. "However, he went into cardiac arrest again at the end of the procedure, and this time we were unable to bring him back - the shock on his system just too great."
Lee, a kakapo that could be up to 100 years old, appeared to be in good shape until Monday, Dr Jakob-Hoff said.
He said Lee's age was probably a factor in his death.
Just 90 kakapo (44 female and 46 male), the rarest parrot species in the world, are alive today.
They are based on Codfish Island, off the northwest coast of Stewart Island, and Anchor Island in Dusky Sound, Fiordland.
No other kakapo are known to survive in their original habitat, due to predation by cats, stoats and rats.
NZPA