Sirocco

Sirocco had an uncertain start to life, suffering a respiratory illness at three weeks old whilst being raised by his mother Zephyr. The treatment he required meant that he had to be hand-raised, and he was the first male kakapo for this to happen. Unfortunately he had to be raised in the absence of other kakapo, and as a result became imprinted on humans. Older age doesn’t seem to have increased his interest in other kakapo yet; he doesn’t associate with them at all, and instead he booms in the presence of humans.

As a result, staff have realised he is unlikely to be an effective breeding bird, but instead an extremely good advocate for his species; and can provide the best opportunities for people to meet a live kakapo. When living on Maud Island he has been visited by many school groups, and on Codfish Island (Whenua Hou) provides the team’s hard-working volunteers with a good chance of seeing a bird. 

Sirocco remains a wild bird in that he does not live in captivity, but he has visited several places in the last few years - on tour as ambassador for his species. 

In spring 2006, Sirocco had his first public engagement - a three month stint on Ulva Island, near Oban (Rakiura/Stewart Island) as part of the Ulva Island Trust’s “Kakapo Encounter”.  Visitors could join a tour to see him in an enclosure in a forest setting for a brief period at dusk.  It has been extremely popular, and he has returned there for regular stints since.

In September 2009, Sirocco crossed the Cook Strait to bring the wonderful world of the kakapo to the people of the North Island, with a visit to Auckland Zoo to celebrate Conservation Week.   

His superstar status escalated in October 2009, when the BBC series "Last Chance to See" featuring Stephen Fry and Mark Cawardine aired in the UK.  A YouTube clip of Sirocco getting 'up close and personal' with presenter Mark Cawardine gained more than 700 000 views in just one week!

Sirocco can be found advocating for kakapo on 'Facebook' and 'Twitter' - and is likely to continue his public appearances into the future.