Several thousand people queued in the rain at Nelson's Trafalgar Centre for a rare chance to see kakapo chicks before they are taken to isolated Codfish Island and released into the wild.If any readers had that chance, do let us know about your day. Were you allowed to take pictures?, and if so, do let us have some!
Some people queuing on Saturday were forced to wait more than an hour to get in to see the four chicks which were hand-reared by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in a rented Nelson house.
The population of the bird numbers just 86 (sic *).
* - The Kakpo actually number 87. See comments
5 comments:
I thought Kakapo numbers were at 87.
86 after the last previous successful breeding season, then three died of the bacterial infection and then four chicks from this breeding season.
DaveH
I agree with you Dave. You're right! I will amend the post accordingly.
The sad thing is that the one extra individual amounts to 1.15% of the total population.
DaveH
And one Northern White Rhino amounts to maybe 10% ! Haven't heard much about the possible relocation lately, so don't have accurate figures to go on.
Unfortunately I think it is worse that that. The latest I read was that the agencies have pulled out and the Rhino have been left to their own devices. There was an article in the New York Times (by Marc Lacey that reported the local reaction to the proposed relocation. This included Kes Hillman-Smith (mentioned in LCtS book) and her husband being “briefly detained” by locals with machetes. See http://www.sosrhino.org/news/ rhi...onews032805.php
The International Rhino Fund announced a suspension of their operations in Garamba in April. See http://www.rhinos-irf.org/news/ a..._extinction.htm
There is a quote in Marc's article from Thomas J. Foose, program director at the International Rhino Foundation that says "I do not believe that any rhinos will survive the year".
DaveH
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