THE EMBARRASSING deaths of two endangered New Zealand kakapos, the world鈥檚
largest parrot, has halted the Stewart Island capture programme. The birds,
one male and one female, were killed by a conservation officer鈥檚 dog. The
total population of kakapo is 43, of which 15 are female.
Muzzled dogs are used to locate the birds in undergrowth. A male bird
died when the dog鈥檚 muzzle became dislodged, allowing it to seize the bird,
but it is not clear how the female kakapo died. Baited traps are impractical
on Stewart Island 鈥� off the southern tip of New Zealand 鈥� as predators are
a major problem. Kakapos have been relocated on three predator-free islands
in a bid to save them from extinction.
Meanwhile, there are some red faces at the Canterbury Museum where a
staff member recently broke a prized moa鈥檚 egg 鈥� one of only two of the
extinct bird鈥檚 eggs believed to be left in the country. The worker was making
a replica of the egg for a museum, but instead of making a cast from a copy
he made it from the original.
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