Believed to have existed since ancient times, New Zealand’s prehistoric Takahe birds have become a conservation success story. Birds declared extinct in 1898 were surprisingly re-discovered and taken under protection. And the number of these birds has started to increase with the recent release of 18 more Takahe birds in the Whakatipu Waimāori Valley on New Zealand’s South Island.
The number of Takahe birds in New Zealand drastically declined after the introduction of cats, ferrets, and rats by European settlers. But in 1948, exactly 50 years after the Takahe was declared extinct, environmentalists discovered a small bird population. Efforts to repopulate using this population began.
Initially, researchers and conservationists focused on collecting and carefully incubating Takahe eggs. This was done to protect the eggs from predators and when they hatched they were very carefully fed and cared for by the attendants who wore sock puppets that resembled the unique red beaks that Takahe birds have.
These steps played a crucial role in helping to increase the population of Takahe birds in New Zealand. Today, the bird population has reached almost 500, and conservationists are still working to increase the number of birds in the area. They have also taken proactive steps to reduce predators in the area, including traps for ferrets and feral cats.
Conservationists stress that controlling the predator population is crucial for the increase and protection of the Takahe population in the region. Conservationists plan to release 7 more birds in October and 10 more early next year.
How successful this effort will be will largely depend on conservationists remaining vigilant and attentive. Decades of devoted work on this once-extinct species is also very important in showing how successful conservation efforts can be.
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