A kākāpō made a clever escape from a wildlife sanctuary, but has now been returned. File photo. Photo:
A kākāpō that made an elaborate escape from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has been returned.
Four-year-old Tautahi is believed to have used a downed tree to boost himself over a 2m high fence onto neighbouring farmland.
The flightless native parrot was safely returned to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari at Pukeatua in Waikato last week
Tautahi was transferred to the sanctuary in September, becoming one of 10 kākāpō moved from island wildlife reserves to the mainland site.
The move was part of a trial at using the mainland sanctuary for kākāpō, to reduce pressure on predator-free islands before future breeding seasons.
Department of Conservation (DOC) operations manager for kākāpō Deidre Vercoe said the escape provided a good learning opportunity.
"Kākāpō have never lived in a fenced sanctuary before, and years of planning and preparation have gone into making this new phase of kākāpō conservation a reality.
"We're thrilled to be at the stage where we can experience in real time how the manu react and adapt our management processes accordingly."
Tautahi's escape was not ideal, but challenges were expected, she said.
"Kākāpō are smart, determined and excellent climbers.
"The two-metre high, 47km-long fence underwent a modification ahead of the translocation to add a barrier to deter kākāpō from climbing it, however as with any trial there is always an element of the unknown."
The parrots wear transmitters and are regularly monitored by rangers, so DOC knew Tautahi had spent time investigating the fence line, before heading on a hīkoi towards a farm block on the south-east corner of the mountain
However, he was out for a while before he was intercepted.
"There are some limitations with the technology... this combined with adverse weather and difficult terrain prevented us from pinpointing Tautahi for several days, but once we saw he was definitively outside the perimeter, we acted quickly and were able to return him safely to the sanctuary."
Vercoe said many of the other kākāpō came up to the fence and simply turned around again, but Tautahi was a bit different.
"So now we know we need to pay extra close attention to the birds who spend more time investigating the fence in those early weeks."
DOC was looking forward to the day kākāpō could once again roam the landscape freely.
As flightless birds, kākāpō are vulnerable to predators. Photo: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Jake Osborne / DOC
"But until we can achieve large predator free areas, it's not possible.
"Kākāpō are vulnerable to predation, so pest-free habitats like Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari are an important stepping-stone," Vercoe said.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari general manager Helen Somerville said they were adjusting their operating protocols after the escape.
"Our team will add additional vegetation clearances and increase the monitoring of Tautahi over the coming weeks, to ensure he stays within the safety of the sanctuary" Somerville said.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu kākāpō species representative Tāne Davis was not surprised by the escape attempt.
"The manu will always challenge us.
"Each of the kākāpō are adapting to their new surroundings and we need to refine our approach alongside them.
"They've spent their life on offshore islands with no fences, so it's natural for them to be inquisitive."