Kākāpō Elwin by Dani Whitaker/DOC
Another kākāpō has escaped from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and thanks to Tyler, a Cambridge resident, all is well.
The dedicated rangers from Sanctuary Mountain and the Department of Conservation continue to actively monitor kākāpō but it also needs a community effort.
Tyler, was driving along a rural road in the early hours of the morning to the north-eastern side of Maungatautari when he saw an unexpected bird on the road ahead. The news of kākāpō translocated to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and the recent departures from the fence by some of them came to mind and he recognised that this was no ordinary bird.
Tyler can now lay claim to being the only person in at least 40 years to find a kākāpō sitting in the middle of the road.
Kākāpō Elwin was going cross-country on a nocturnal New Year’s adventure! Tyler immediately called the DOC Hotline to report the sighting and subsequently contacted Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
Rangers, already set to monitor kākāpō, went directly to the reported area and successfully located and retrieved Elwin, and after a thorough health check, Elwin was returned to the ngahere.
Trialling new habitat for kākāpō is an important step in the wider kākāpō recovery programme.
A Sanctuary Mountain spokesperson said they were grateful for the ongoing collaboration between the Kākāpō Recovery team, Ngāi Tahu and iwi and the vigilance of the community.
Santuary Mountain will soon be contacting residents surrounding Maungatautari to offer the opportunity for dogs to have kākāpō aversion training.
- What to do if you spot injured native wildlife or indeed, an intrepid kākāpō. Phone the DOC Hotline 0800 362 468
- See: kākāpō trio returned
- See: More kākāpō at Maungatautari
- See: Kākāpō pass first test
- See:Watching the kākāpō
- See: The kākāpō have landed
