February « 2010 « new zealand restoration projects

Archive for February, 2010

WHO’S A SQUAWKY BOY THEN

Posted in Aotearoa, bird, birds, extinction, kaka, karori sanctuary, new zealand, parrot, wellington, Zealandia, tagged parrot, wellington, Wellington's Botanic Gardens, Zealandia on February 12, 2010 |

Saved from the brink of extinction in Wellington, kaka could face a new threat from humans, with one city dweller threatening to kill them. Zealandia conservation manager Raewyn Empson said a small number of people living near the Karori sanctuary had called with complaints about the rare parrots eating plums from their trees. One had [...]

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Lack of UV light harming tuatara

Posted in tuatara, tagged lizard, Massey University, new zealand, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Orana Wildlife Park, Reptile, tuatara, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve on February 11, 2010 |

Some New Zealand tuatara facilities have been inadvertently harming their endangered charges by enclosing them without sufficient light, new research shows. Without full-spectrum lighting, tuatara can suffer nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSHP), which causes bones to break and other painful conditions. Ultraviolet (UV) light produces vitamin D, which helps the bones absorb calcium. Research published by [...]

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Weka on the menu

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Chatham Islands, fauna, Federated Farmers, weka on February 5, 2010 |

Wednesday, 3 February 2010, 10:00 am Press Release: Federated Farmers Media Release 3 February 2010 Reasons to farm weka Federated Farmers is backing entrepreneurial farmer, Roger Beattie, in his quest to secure trial approval to supply farmed weka. “Here’s a true Kiwi entrepreneur who ought to have every policy encouragement to see if a new [...]

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Rodent Detected On ‘Pest-Free’ Kiwi Crèche Island

Posted in Aotearoa, Auckland, Department of Conservation, doc, island, Motuora, Norway rat, rat, tagged Auckland, Department of Conservation, doc, ferret, Hauraki Gulf, Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Motuora, Motuora Restoration Society, Norway rat, Rodent, stoat on February 5, 2010 |

Wednesday, 3 February 2010, 11:52 am Press Release: Department of Conservation Rodent Detected On ‘Pest-Free’ Kiwi Crèche Island A large Norway rat discovered in a permanent trap on the ‘pest-free’ island of Motuora in the Hauraki Gulf has sparked a Department of Conservation (DOC) response operation. Motuora, which is jointly managed by DOC and the [...]

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DNA suggests Moa once flew

Posted in Department of Conservation, extinction, tagged Antarctica, dna, extinction, flightless, Gondwana, Massey, moa, new zealand on February 5, 2010 |

Listen to the Radio NZ item. New research indicates the moa may not always have been flightless. The research, by Professor David Penny, Elizabeth Crimp and Gillian Gibb of the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, has found that moa were closely related to the tinamou, a breed of South American birds. The [...]

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