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Woohoo, we have just released the last of the season’s Kakapo chicks with the departure of Hananui’s chick (yet to be named) from the holding pen to the wild expanse of the Whenua Hou forest. After spotting a break in the weather for the next day or two, we clambered our way along the muddy path and up the hill. Phil was careful to avoid slippery roots and the deepest mud holes whilst holding Hananui’s chick at arms length, safely enclosed in a transfer bag. The slightly more modest length of my own legs was cause for me to maintain reasonably high revs to keep up with the giraffe like strides of Kakapo team members Phil Marsh and Jo Ledington on the incline. We reached the pre-determined spot...a good site where Phil Marsh eventually pulls over. Plenty of floral variety abounds, old mature forest surrounds us including spectacular leaning trunks of big Rata with their buttress bases and limb like roots offering numerous and often-cavernoushidey- holes in which a Kakapo could find shelter. Not too far off exists a patch of sub alpine scrub with species that can provide fruitful opportunity in the summer. We set up the supplementary feed station and open the bag. She stops struggling and looks wide-eyed at the expanse of her new home. This is the first time she hasn’t had a wall to limit her roaming and the excitement takes her immediately. She calls regularly making pig-like grumblings of contentment back to us as she completes a lap around us at 20 metres distance and then attempts to climb her first tree. You can see marvel in her eyes at the size of the trees outside of the pen. Conversely in her release team’s eyes a little trepidation exists as she elevates herself higher off the ground. This release was special for the team for a number of reasons. Firstly, she has been on a recovery mission having arrived back from Auckland Zoo’s Veterinary centre following treatment for an infected footpad and a torn eyelid. She has always been an intrepid climber and presumably these injuries were sustained during an overly ambitious attempt to summit one of the Manukas in the chick pen. On discovery of her injuries the team kept close watch on her health. After initial improvement her foot became more swollen and it was clear that she would need Veterinary assistance. She was flown off Codfish Island and Sandy Cooper of Invercargill performed a minor operation to trim the damaged eyelid and remove dead tissue from the wound on the underside of her foot. All patched up, our young Kakapo flew up to Auckland on the same day, and thrived under the care of the Auckland Zoo Veterinary staff, recovering quickly and returning to us ready to be weaned. She spent ten days in the Codfish Island chick pen, at which time we knew she was ready for the forest-proper. Hananui’s chick’s venture into the wild is also symbolic as it brings closure to the hand-raising phase of a busy and highly successful season. Twenty-six of the season’s thirty-three new Kakapo had to be hand-raised in Invercargill following the failure of this year’s Rimu fruit to ripen. These birds have been subsequently weaned from their human carers in forest based pens on Whenua Hou before introduction to their new homes on Whenua Houand Anchor Island. With this final chick release the staff contracted to the Kakapo team to assist during the intensely busy breeding season also say goodbye. We have been extremely blessed with fantastic staff making themselves available for the breeding season to work on Codfish Island and also at the hand-rearing unit in Invercargill. Similarly one hundred volunteers gave their time and energy in a very generous and committed manner to become part of the team saving the Kakapo from extinction. We have made big inroads and much is down to the magnificent efforts made by all these people who throw themselves at the work. As we meandered home we nibbled a few of the species that Kakapo like to eat and imagined life as a wild Kakapo – especially one out experiencing freedom for the first time. Apart from their favourite plant species tasting quite bitter, the future looks good for the newest of these intrepid green night parrots. The wind starts to get up and that night some hail arrives. The next day our released chick is found dry and roosting happily up in a tree, deep in sleep.
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