A pūteketeke/Australasian crested grebe which needed stomach surgery after swallowing a fishhook has been successfully released back into the wild after a lengthy recovery at Wildlife Hospital Dunedin. Photo: Supplied / Wildlife Hospital Dunedin
The recovery of an injured pūteketeke is fantastic news for the species, says the Department of Conservation (DOC).
The endangered Australasian crested grebe, recently voted Bird of the Century after TV host John Oliver's campaign for the species, has been released back to the wild after swallowing a fishhook.
DOC said the adult female bird, which was found near Twizel in December, had undergone stomach surgery at Wildlife Hospital Dunedin and had been recovering there ever since.
Removing the fishhook was a major procedure, said Wildlife Hospital Dunedin Director and Senior Wildlife Veterinarian Dr Lisa Argilla.
An x-ray shows the fishhook in the stomach of the female pūteketeke. Photo: Supplied / Wildlife Hospital Dunedin
There was a risk ingested fishhooks could perforate an animal's stomach and cause peritonitis (serious infection around the internal organs) because of how sharp they were, she said.
"Luckily this was not the case in this grebe and the hook was successfully removed without any complications."
However recovering from the surgery was a lengthy process for the pūteketeke.
"Over the past few weeks her feathers have regrown over the area where the surgery was undertaken, and she has been spending all day in the rehab pool swimming and diving and doing normal grebe things. We are so excited about the successful outcome for this stunning bird."
DOC Twizel senior biodiversity ranger Dean Nelson said the pūteketeke was successfully released near Lake Ruataniwha in Canterbury on Friday.
The pūteketeke is released back into the wild near Lake Ruataniwha in Canterbury, following surgery to remove a fishhook from her stomach. Photo: Supplied / Dean Nelson, Department of Conservation
There are thought to be fewer than 1000 Australasian crested grebes in Aotearoa. They are a diving bird found on some South Island lakes, particularly in the Canterbury and Otago high country.
It was "fantastic" this one had made a full recovery and had been released back into the wild, Nelson said.
"This bird was lucky because swallowing fishing gear can be fatal in many cases."
He said people could help prevent incidents like the one which injured the pūteketeke by fishing tidily and not leaving hooks, line or other equipment lying around.
Anyone who saw a native bird that was clearly injured or in a dangerous situation could call the DOC hotline: 0800 HOT DOC (0800 362 468) to report it and seek advice, he said.