Lisa

She was part of a large translocation of 8 other females and 12 males moved to Hauturu/Little Barrier Island to keep them safe from cats, which were killing an alarming number of kakapo on Rakiura at that time.

After four years on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu), her radio-transmitter was removed, and she evaded human detection and management for the next 13 years. This was despite considerable effort put into relocating her, using kakapo-indicating dogs, and tempting her into cage traps with kumara and apple treats.

Hauturu is a large and very rugged island which made relocating any kakapo without radio-tags extremely difficult. Due to the presence of rats at that time, and different food species available; little effective breeding occurred there. Therefore most kakapo were translocated to Codfish Island (Whenua Hou) and Maud Island from 1996-98; however five males remained, and two females were unaccounted for. Fresh mating sign at a track and bowl site in 1999 meant that one of those females was alive. With the prospect of good scent being associated with a nest; indicator dogs were used a few weeks later, and Lisa was found sitting on three eggs in a nest at the base of a hollow tree. Ellie, Hauturu and Aranga hatched from those eggs, after they had been pulled for hand-raising. With a fresh transmitter attached to Lisa, her whereabouts became known again, and her translocation planned for later in the year. Reluctant to leave, she developed a penchant for roosting high up in trees; staff called her bluff by using ropes and climbing gear to reach her perch, 25m above ground.

Today, Lisa is on Whenua Hou – a breeze to manage, and she raised Hananui in 2002. She is always the earliest bird to lay, but five of her eggs in 2002, and all three she laid in 2005 were infertile.