By Samantha Hayes
It's hoped the release of two takahe at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay will be a turning point in saving the critically endangered species.
The species has come back from the brink before. Once takahe were considered extinct.
There are still fewer than 300 of the native birds, but two – a male and a female – are now in what's being called a private lifeboat.
Takahe fossils lie in the sand dunes at Cape Kidnappers, though the North Island species was wiped out long ago.
“It's just a milestone,” says Cape Sanctuary owner Andy Lowe. “This is 12 years in the making from when we first dreamt about this project. It wasn't in our wildest dreams we'd have takahe here in 12 years.”
With backing from an American millionaire, Mr Lowe has spent millions turning it into a wildlife sanctuary.
A key element is its predator-proof fence that alone cost around $300 a metre and is more than 10km long.
“It has cost a lot of money but in ecological terms it's nothing,” says Mr Lowe. “We're talking about saving species for future generations.”
Like moa, takahe once dominated New Zealand’s landscape, but were all but wiped out by people and the predators they introduced.
Takahe were considered to be extinct until 1948, when a small population was found hidden in Fiordland's Murchison Mountains. There were fewer than 300 birds. Despite more than 60 years of conservation, the population has continued to decline and today there are fewer than 260 individual takahe.
“More can always be done,” says DOC Te Anau takahe ranger Phil Marsh. “The reality is if we've got more money to put towards takahe conservation we can do more with it.”
The privately funded Cape Sanctuary is crucial. But with just 50 breeding pairs remaining, can they really come back?
“It's definitely possible,” says Mr Marsh.
“I feel quite privileged that we've been entrusted with the care of these birds,” says Cape Sanctuary manager Tamsin Ward-Smith. “[I] feel highly responsible. It's a huge task.”
If successful, more takahe will fly north. For now, the pair is settling in well. But the question now is – will they breed?
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