Gouland Downs Kiwi Transfer
The recent transfer of roa/raroa/great spotted kiwi from the Gouland Downs (Heaphy Track) area of Kahurangi National Park has worrying implications for the 5 - 6 pr that Solid Energy wants to move from Happy Valley.
As a result of a design fault in a cage, one female roa has the end of her bill incl one nostril broken off. Apparently there was blood everywhere when the cage was opened and this bird is now being cared for at Massey University.
Five pr were captured at Gouland Downs in May, so only 9 birds made it to the Nn Lakes Mainland Is. One of the worries is that they would go walkabout, but DOC says that they have stayed reasonably close to the release site. However one bird wandered away, then returned.
The big worry is that within a month of the release two dogs were found in the area which is not only a mainland island but also national park, so dogs are doubly-banned. One dog was a lost pig dog, the other a civvy (?) dog being taken for a walk at Lake Head!
None of this has appeared in the media apart from a 'feel good' story in Manawatu Evening Std with the spin that the damaged beak would give scientists a unique opportunity to study how roa beaks regrow. (Lets hope they do)
So we are learning that kiwi transfers are not safe and simple. The Gouland Down birds were taken from a secure area of prime habitat and taken to an insecure one of unknown quality. This is on top of the aborted transfer in Fiordland which resulted in pairs splitting, weight loss and the death of one bird when returned to source.
DOC is not telling the public the full story.
Incidentally, the people involved in the Nelson Lakes transfer want more birds and indicate that other sources will be considered (Happy Valley?).
What worries me is the motive behind the transfer. Is there a good scientific reason for it? It can't be for the survival of the species because it is reasonably secure and has a widespread, tho declining population. Is there a bit of grandstanding in this? Good news stories for DOC? Kudos for the Nelson Lakes Mainland Island team? And in the long term a helping hand for Solid Energy and the coal industry?
