Spotted kiwi have been reintroduced to New Zealand’s Fiordland

12/08/2008 12:01:11 August 2008. Little spotted kiwi have been reintroduced to New Zealand's Fiordland for the first time for 100 years. Real Journeys, a South Island tourism company have sponsored the reintroduction of kiwi-pukapuka/Little Spotted Kiwi to Chalky Island.

The reintroduction of the birds is part of a wider plan, as part of the BNZ Save the Kiwi programme, to increase the number of safe places that kiwi can live.

Ferrets, stoats and weasels introduced to control rabbits
Little Spotted Kiwi are endangered but they once roamed freely in Fiordland before the arrival of introduced predators. Ferrets, stoats and weasels (collectively termed ‘mustelids') were released on the mainland to control introduced rabbits over 100 years ago.

In 1900 Richard Henry who was caretaker of Resolution Island - the world's first island sanctuary for birds - wrote "I think that the brown kiwi and kakapo will be too strong for the weasels, but the Little Spotted Kiwis will soon go".

Rapid decline of native birds
The release of these predators on the mainland resulted in the rapid decline of native birds. Henry transferred well over 700 endangered native birds, including the kiwi, to Resolution Island and other islands in Fiordland. Between 1894 and 1900, Henry, monitored and recorded the progress of relocated birds, and proved that, in the right conditions, birds could survive relocation.

Unfortunately in 1900 Richard Henry sighted a stoat on Resolution Island. Once these predators became established, Henry realised the futility of transferring any more birds. The ones already there were doomed. He eventually moved north to the island sanctuary of Kapiti, where Little Spotted Kiwi still survived.

First stoat eradication
The first ever attempt to eradicate stoats from an island occurred on Chalky in 1999, one hundred years after Henry saw the first stoat on Resolution. This eradication was successful and as a result Little Spotted Kiwi have returned to Fiordland thanks to the pioneering efforts of Henry who proved island transfers could be successful. Te Kakahu-o-Tamatea/Chalky Island will become their new home which has already seen the return of the endangered Mohua, Saddleback and Orange-fronted Parakeets transferred there since the removal of stoats.

The money to fund the kiwi translocation was raised by passengers aboard Real Journeys multi-day Discovery Cruises. "For the past 10 years we have held a light hearted auction of mystery prizes at the end of each trip to raise money for conservation" said Real Journeys Area Manager Paul Norris.

Funding
This money has been used to fund many island restoration projects in Fiordland including the transfer of Robins, Mohua and Saddleback onto Anchor Island in Dusky Sound. The funding for this kiwi transfer is the latest initiative between Real Journeys, its clients and DOC. Southern Lakes Helicopters are also supporting the transfer by providing reduced flight fees.

Returning Little Spotted Kiwi to Fiordland is a significant step in the recovery of New Zealand's second rarest kiwi species. "Once established on Chalky Island, this population of kiwi may be used as a source for transfers to other predator-free islands throughout Fiordland" DOC Biodiversity Programme Manager, Murray Willans said.

"We are excited to be part of this project and are looking forward to bringing kiwi back to their natural habitat" said Mr Norris.

In early August representatives from Real Journeys joined iwi and Department of Conservation staff to transfer the first of 40 birds from Kapiti Island to predator-free Te Kakahu-o-Tamatea/Chalky Island in Chalky Inlet, Fiordland.

Real journeys • Real Journeys is a family owned tourism company with strong links to Fiordland. Real Journeys considers it a privilege to operate in a spectacular part of New Zealand where the company is also engaged in a number of initiatives to safeguard the environment. • Real Journeys & its customers aboard the Discovery Cruises have funded a number of conservation initiatives in Fiordland. These include the set up of stoat traps surrounding Anchor Island & at Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound, purchasing additional equipment to assist DOC work in these remote island sanctuaries, and the transfers of native birds to these predator free islands.

richard henry Richard Henry (1845-1929) was the curator and caretaker of the world's first island sanctuary for birds. Henry managed Resolution Island in the remote south-west corner of the South Island from 1894 to 1908. • There is no written proof of Richard Henry transferring Little Spotted Kiwi from Fiordland to Kapiti Island and still today it is not known the true origin of the Kapiti Little Spotted kiwi Bank of New Zealand save the kiwi trust  Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Trust was established in November 2002 by Bank of New Zealand and the Department of Conservation, building on a sponsorship relationship that started in 1991. BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust is responsible for public awareness and education, fundraising, sponsorship and grant allocations for kiwi recovery nationally. In 2007 alone, $771,000 was allocated to community and DOC kiwi projects. This money came from Bank of New Zealand, its staff, customers and supporters of BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust. BNZ Operation Nest EggTM is a powerful tool to reverse the decline of key kiwi populations. Eggs and chicks are harvested from nests to save them from stoats and cats. The young kiwi are returned to the wild when they weigh about 1kg, big enough to fight off these predators. More than 800 kiwi chicks have been returned to the wild since the programme began in 1994, with captive facilities and hundreds of field workers from DOC and community groups throughout the country contributing to its success. The BNZ Operation Nest EggTM egg harvesting>chick rearing>return to the wild technique was developed through research funded solely by Bank of New Zealand and is now also used in other species recovery programmes. www.savethekiwi.org.nz