Want to see a Kakapo?

http://www.maungatrust.org/Online-Bookings.cfm

There are fewer than 150 left in the world and Mangatautiri are having sessions where you can go and see Sirocco. He's the one that humped the cameraman's head a while back. Good chance to see him up close (though he'll be behind glass)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY&feature=related

Oh wow so few left

They're so cool I might have a look at that..

The more people they can get along, the more they can do for them

Hopefully it will be a success story. If any country can do it, NZ can, so long as it gets the support it needs.

Actually 150 is much better than the 80 odd left 10 years ago.

Oh that's so cool!!

Where is that place though?

Waikato, just south of Cambridge.

Oh. I might just have to make a donation then

It's a bit far away.

Yeah that's going to put a lot of people off.

not if you dress them right

Kakapo are necro's!
No wonder they are dying out.

aww haha. Kea's are my favourite they are so cute and little trouble makers.. ...the other birds are probably like stupid Kea.

heh.

much respect for all the whanau in the Strigopoidea.

Ohhh ... my sister just finished her paintings of some awesome birds.... the photos don't do them justice though .. I want the kea one

Wow! Those are really good!

yup

Wow! your sister is an amazing artist

Nice

The Kea looks wise in that painting. I bet it's seen a lot in its time.. :>

It looks like it has magical powers...


do Kea's have magical powers?

Well I never thought so before....



...but this Kea has me thinking differently...

This one just about stole the decal off my boot..

Heh, cheeky Kea. I do love their cheeky attitude.



They're surprisingly quite bloodthirsty too. Sheep farmers hate them.

Wow - amazing paintings QTRARO

Probably another animal that we should think about before it's fully extinct in the Maui Dolphin ....

Are those birds painted? Wow

They're one the most intelligent birds in the world, capable of solving logical problems (if food is the solution of course).

I heard something recently about a big decline in Kea numbers
wiki tells me they are variously classified as "nationally endangered" and "vulnerable"

The Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson said recently "conservation is everybodies responsibility" - so there wont be a govt campaign or anything to help the Kea.

Around 5000 left I think. They're their own worst enemy in a way though. A large number of them died because they were chewing the lead off the tops of roofing nails and being poisoned. They also set off all the stoat traps with sticks. Too smart for their own good.

I saw one down near the Milford Sounds and it fully ripped a bit off this dudes car while about 10 people watched and took photos. I was thinking man someone should stop it doing that, but mob mentality and alll that, I just stood and watched.

There's enough signs up everywhere. You can't blame Kea for wanting to rip shit apart.

Its like the farmers wanting to poison them all because they rip out sheep guts. Don't put your fucking sheep where kea live then, assholes. Fucking people think they should be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want and just force nature into agreeing with them.

"diffusion of responsibility" is the theory you want

Word.

word word

wordy word word

or I agree with the sentiments of this post

From the Introduction to the report on the 2008 Winter Survey:

Little is known of the current population status of Kea in the wild ... Numbers have dramatically reduced over the past 100 years with over 150,000 estimated killed in a legal bounty system until partial protection was granted in 1971 and full protection in 1986 (Temple, 1978 ). The most recent estimate of overall population size indicate numbers as low as 1000-5000 individuals remaining (Anderson, 1986) or as high as 15,000 (Bond and Diamond, 1992; Jackson, 1960). Both figures are widely regarded as estimates only and have been recognised in the latter study to be potentially unreliable (Bond and Diamond, 1992).


Reported in Stuff 2012:

The kea population stood at between 1000 and 5000 but research on four separate populations indicated numbers were decreasing. (NB: this figure is probably a repeat of the 1986 estimate, not a current estimate)
While the actual number of birds in the wild was unknown, Ms Orr-Walker said people frequently said they weren't seeing as many kea as they had in the past.


Threats to Kea:

Continued threats include predation of nests by introduced pest species (particularly possums and stoats) and human impacts (inclusive of lead poisoning). Potential threats include introduction of exotic avian diseases (such as avian malaria) and the unknown effects of global warming on New Zealands alpine habitat.

The major threat to Kea is that govt won't put in the resources needed

hahah that is awesome

just thought I'd share my sister's new painting she's working on... I think it's great!!!! .. She's still working on the beak :>

Evidently she likes birds heh.

wow that looks real good QT - talented sister right there

Woah, that Kiwi is amazing QT! Has she done any Kereru by chance?

Also, I wish they let us have Kakapo as pets. How awesome would that be! Guess while it would increase numbers, it wouldn't be exactly optimal etc.

Yep she has Don't think it's quite finished in that pic though.. But she's got all her bird pics up in some cafe in Sandringham hopefully she sells a couple...

He looks like he is wearing a lil wife beater! SO cute