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Initial elimination operations were performed by 34,000 hectares, hoping to increase efforts to 300,000.
Photo: Sébastien Goldberg/Unsplash
The number of KEA – Parrot of the mountain endangered nationally endangered in New Zealand – is growing in number in Araki/Mount Cook National Park.
The average size of the herd in the BRUN Malte area in 2024 was twice that it was seen two years earlier.
Working in the area to get rid of skunks, stones and other pests on thousands of hectares were made by the Tem Manahuna Araki project – part of invasive zero.
Initial elimination operations have now been performed at 30,000 hectares in the Alpine Zone and 4,000 hectares in the dry land/Tussock dry lands.
The project expects to increase to about 300,000 hectares in the long run.
Te Manahuna Araki Technical Leader for Kea Nick Foster said Nine in half It was difficult to determine the exact increase in numbers, “but the numbers we started are trying to have increased quite significantly in the last two years.”
“The first two years were quite constant and in 2024 we had this very significant jump and this was kind of corroborated with observations from local managers and hunters.”
Foster said this year’s numbers – so far – have been even higher and even benefited many other animals and plants.
“We know it’s good news, but it’s really hard to assign any cause. It’s really hard to say why we have more Kea now.”
Foster said there was a possibility that Kea dos Alps could be migrating to the BRUN Malte area, where the pests were being eradicated.
See the Beetham Valley for Malte Brun.
Photo:
He said to research and get a number of estimated parrots in an area, they spaced the carcasses.
“We divide our research periods into periods that we are confident that we do not double people double … So, basically, the average of this, we do it for a long period of time and compare between years. This is the short answer.”
It was also a steep learning curve, finding out how to navigate the ground, said Foster.
“The Malte Brun mountain range is very robust, visited only by climbers and occasional hunters.
“In fact, it is one of the reasons why we chose to start here, if we will succeed in eradicating New Zealand pests, we will have to address these areas sooner or later.
“It was an opportunity to learn very quickly how, you know, to work around glaciers, how to stay safe around cliffs and areas of rock fall and curse in winter, there are risks of avalanche, it has been a really steep learning curve in the last two years, for sure.”
The pests being the target of the project include skunks, stones, furons, wild cats, hedgehogs, rabbits/bass and Norway rats.
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