Date With A Rare Bird
07 Feb 2008
In a rare and very special move the public are being invited to get up close and personal with one of New Zealand's most colourful and rare birds.
The kakapo, a nocturnal, flightless giant parrot, has been fighting back from the brink of extinction for decades. There are just 86 known kakapo remaining on Earth.
From 8 September to 22nd October 2008 the public will be able to see Sirocco in his special retreat on Ulva Island, just off New Zealand's southern Stewart Island.
The guided tour includes a boat trip through Paterson Inlet to Ulva Island, and a walk to Sirocco’s enclosure where he can be observed close-up.
The kakapo is a strangely sweet-smelling owl-faced bird, that roams the forest floor, nibbling berries, climbing trees, nesting in burrows, and dancing with others in a primeval avian ballroom.
Even without Sirocco gracing its shores, Ulva Island is a special place. It has been predator-free for a decade, and a variety of birds thrive there including kiwi, kaka, saddlebacks, yellow-eyed and little blue penguins, rifleman, mohua, and the Stewart Island robin. It is also home to the cheeky, flightless weka.
Once prevalent throughout New Zealand, kakapo now reside on the predator-free islands Codfish and Maud under the care of the Kakapo Recovery Programme. Typically only scientists involved in the programme have had the opportunity to behold this rare and mysterious bird however that changed in 2007 with the inception of Kakapo Encounter.
Further information:
kakapoencounter@xtra.co.nz
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