Stephen Fry's close encounters of the kiwi kind
13 Jan 2009
British actor, author and comedian Stephen Fry has been on the receiving end of some unusually close encounters during a BBC filming expedition in New Zealand.
While cameras whirred last Friday at Wellington’s world renowned Karori Sanctuary, Fry got the once over from an inquisitive parrot who sat on the star turn's head while inspecting his ample locks.
"Stephen was filming the tuatara when a kaka (native forest parrot) appeared out of nowhere and jumped on to his head," Karori Sanctuary marketing coordinator Alan Dicks reported.
"They are naturally inquisitive, but of the 70 or so kaka living in the 555 acre [225ha] sanctuary, only one is known to routinely get this close to visitors. He seemed to have singled Stephen out - it was a wonderful moment."
Fry’s feathered friend ‘Alfie’ was one of the original captive-bred New Zealand native birds released into the world-first wildlife safe haven in 2002.
Alfie had a fondness for preening human heads and a definite preference for people with a lot of hair, Mr Dicks said.
Last Chance to See
Fry and co-host Mark Carwardine are in New Zealand to film an episode of the new BBC documentary series Last Chance to See featuring animals that are endangered or threatened with extinction.
The five-part television series is a follow-up to the original radio and book series, made 20 years ago, that included New Zealand’s nocturnal parrot, the kakapo, along with another seven endangered species from other parts of the world. The new series will feature the conservation stories of several species of New Zealand wildlife.
Fry visited Karori Sanctuary to film tuatara, a prehistoric reptile unique to New Zealand, in their only natural home on the mainland.
From kiwi to kakapo
On the final stage of the New Zealand leg, Fry and his film crew have had a series of close encounters with native wildlife - from kiwi to kakapo - at destinations on mainland and off-shore islands.
During a five-day visit to remote Whenua Pou or Codfish Island - a large forest-covered island west of Stewart Island, on New Zealand’s southern tip - Fry experienced kakapo breeding season including having to fend off over-friendly kakapo.
Codfish Island is the centre for New Zealand’s kakapo recovery programme. The world’s rarest parrot was considered a lost species but since the mid-20th century, due to the ground-breaking conservation programme, the population has increased to the 90 birds now living on Codfish Island.
Fry is enthusiastic about New Zealand's effort to save the kakapo and said it was a "great privilege to be allowed" on Codfish Island. Apart from the three wildlife officers based there, the island is protected from any human interference.
Real kiwis
Near Whangarei, in New Zealand’s far north, Fry had his first introduction to "wholly charming young kiwi ... real birds, not the people or the fruit".
Fry has also bonded with another flightless New Zealand native, the takahe.
"Fed some takehe chicks via glove puppet. If you hand feed them, they think they're human, like the kakapo that tried to shag me."
Considered extinct until rediscovered in a remote South Island valley in the 1940s, takahe remain a threatened species due to declining numbers. The Department of Conservation (DOC) takahe recovery plan is working towards reversing this trend.
Natural beauty
The intrepid adventurer was full of praise for New Zealand's natural beauty and friendly people.
"Fiordland, ladies and gentlemen. What a spectacle. Earth Destination Number One... To throw words at such a spectacle would be like throwing meringues at a charging rhinoceros. Fruitless. (Unless it's banana pavlova).
"It's a staggeringly beautiful place to look at but the thing you really come away with is the people ... I just wish you weren't so bloody good at rugby," he said.
Fry’s current projects include writing the script for New Zealand director Peter Jackson's Dambusters film.
More information:
Iconic New Zealand birds
World’s rarest parrot gets population boost
Zealandia - Karori Sanctuary experience
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