Soaking Up The Rays - Tuatara at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Soaking Up The Rays - something every self-respecting, life-loving reptile must do. Tuatara at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington, NZ, January 2009. copyright Kuaka.

More pics here.

The Year of the Tuatara - 2009

A tuatara spotted on the upper stretch of the Turbine track at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington. The sanctuary is "a mainland island" - an enclave surrounded by a predator-proof fence that is used to protect endangered native species as efforts are made to regenerate their numbers.

The tuatara pictured (apparently number 505 by the markings on his right side) is one of a number of tuatara introduced into the sanctuary in recent years from offshore islands where the only tuatara remained in the wild. Staff have found tuatara eggs within the sanctuary so there are increasing hopes that they will successfully reproduce in the sanctuary.

This blogger had long ago concluded he'd never see a tuatara in the "wild" so he was as stunned as the tuatara, even though this blogger knew they had been introduced to the sanctuary, when he turned a corner on the track to see the tuatara sunning itself on the track.

Some people seek 15 minutes of fame; this blogger is well-satisfied with 15 minutes of solitude with a tuatara.

May 2009 be the Year of the Tuatara.

Tuatara Re-Establish Mainland Nests in New Zealand

Adult male tuatara, Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

In the terrific news category, tuatara - with a little help from their human friends - have re-established themselves on the New Zealand mainland, nesting for the first time in over 200 years.

Relegated to offshore islands after egg predation by invasive species such by rats, most notably the the kiore or Polynesian rat, the tuatara were re-introduced to the North Island in December 2005 when 70 tuatara were released into the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Wellington, the capital city. A further 130 tuatara were released into the sanctuary in 2007.

The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is an ecological island of 225 hectares or just under a square mile bordered by a pest-exclusion fence to prevent non-native predators of native birds and reptiles decimating the native species.

Now, during routine maintenance work on the fence, Sanctuary workers have discovered the first known tuatara nest on the mainland. The nest contains 4 eggs. These may hatch anytime between now and sometime in March.

The first four tuatara eggs to be found in the wild on mainland New Zealand

The tuatara is endemic to New Zealand and is often referred to as "a living fossil" because all other species close to the tuatara became extinct about 60 million years ago.

The reproduction rate of tuatara is very low, even without threats from predators, because they breed only every 2-4 years and female tuatara only become fertile around 13 years of age. Their average life span is about 60 years, though some have lived to over 100 years of age.

The tuatara has a legendary "third eye" on top of its head, actually a parietal eye that may play a role in detecting light or in processing UV light to make vitamin D. This "eye" is only visible in the young tuatara, becoming covered over at about 3-4 months of age.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary for this major contribution towards restoring the Tuatara to the New Zealand Mainland!!!!

Kakapo Recovers from Lead Poisoning

Lee, a male kakapo (the world's only flightless parrot species), has responded to treatment for lead poisoning at the Auckland Zoo’s New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM).

Transferred in April from Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, to Anchor Island in Fiordland, Lee was discovered to have lost a kilogram of weight by August, dropping his weight to 1.2 kg. He was then removed to Auckland Zoo for emergency treatment. Blood tests established that Lee had lead poisoning and treatment was commenced to remove the lead from his system by use of calcium compounds. The lead poisoning may have resulted from a fishing sinker or shotgun pellets in the environment.

Lee is now up to 1.7 kg bodyweight and will be returned to Codfish Island, his home of 25 years, instead of Anchor Island.

Lee is one of only 91 known kakapo in the world.

Kakapo - World's Only Flightless Parrot - Endangered Species

Six billion people, only 91 kakapo....

The kakapo, the world's only flightless parrot, is an endangered species. By 1995 there were only 50 individuals left, located on Stewart Island, and under threat from invasive pests such as feral cats and rats.

The surviving kakapo were transferred by the Department of Conservation to Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), off Stewart Island, as part of a recovery programme for the species. Before the kakapo could be relocated, rat eradication had to be successfully completed in 1998.

In 2002, 24 chicks were born on Codfish Island, 4 in 2005, and a further seven in early 2008. Kakapo breeding and chick rearing depend on the "masting" or heavy crop of fruit from rimu trees every 3 to 5 years. This year the fruit did not ripen and as in some past years the chicks have been hand-reared to ensure their survival.

The following documentary traces the re-introduction of kakapo to Chalky Island, off Fiordland. Learn more about the Kakapo Recovery Programme here.

Kakapo - New Zealand documentary April 2003

One recovery underway. One short term success. New Zealand needs many more successes, as does the world...