First adult female death in 19 years 

Sadly, Sarah the kakapo was found dead on Whenua Hou / Codfish Island on the 19th of May.  We are unsure of the cause of death; autopsy revealed that she was in good condition and that her death had been sudden. 

 The bacteria Clostridia perfringens was cultured from samples collected at autopsy, but it is not known whether this bacteria was related to her cause of death, or simply a post death overgrowth (she had been dead for one or two days before discovery).
The fact that Sarah generally laid relatively small, poorly calcified eggs suggests that she was relatively old.  
Sarah was an original Stewart Island bird, found 21 years ago in September 1989 by Gary Aburn (Arab).  She's had 3 chicks in her time - Ariki (2002), Pounamu (2005) and Paddy (2009).
Sarah is only the second Stewart Island female to have died on a predator-free, offshore island in 28 years, and the first adult female death in 19 years.
Sarah’s passing reminds us of how rare and precious the kakapo are; taking the world kakapo population to 122.  Rest in peace Sarah, we will miss you.