FIVE MORE KIWI SLAUGHTERED AT MT BRUCE | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

The kiwi recovery programme at
Pukaha Mt Bruce has been dealt a
second body blow with the deaths
of a further five kiwi, slaughtered
by ferrets.

Mortality signals from radio
transmitters alerted wildlife
reserve staff to the deaths of the
birds,  which were discovered dur
ing the last week, bringing the
total to   nine kiwi killed in the   past
three weeks.

The shock deaths have been
attributed to a single female fer
ret, the partner of a large male
held responsible for the initial four
killings that was caught and killed
soon after the attacks.  The female
remained at large.

A devastated Pukaha board
chairman Bob Francis said the fur
ther five deaths were ``a real
blow'' but he stuck by his claim
that everything possible was being
done to protect the kiwi.

Of the nine kiwi to have fallen
victim to vermin,  six belonged to a
30-strong consignment of North
Island brown kiwi transferred to
Mt Bruce from Little Barrier
Island in May.

The latest deaths reduce kiwi
numbers at Pukaha Mt Bruce to
45.

Mr Francis said:  ``We are facing
a real challenge to put a stop to
this.''

The Department of Conserva
tion (DoC) had put in extra staff
since the first wave of killings,
along with expert advisers, trained
dog teams and extra traps.

``The density of trapping is
more than twice the national
standard for controlling predators.

 ``There are already 130km of
traplines, 540 traps targeting
ferrets, stoats and weasels, and
more than 1000 bait stations aimed
at rats and possums.''

Mr Francis said the 940ha of
forest could not realistically be
fenced. ``That's impractical, it's all
hills and gullies.''

 DoC area manager Chris Lester
said that, despite the latest set
back, Pukaha Mt Bruce remained
a vital part of the programme to
re-establish kiwi on mainland New
Zealand.

He said it was one of only four
unfenced reserves in the country
with a kiwi recovery programme. 

``There is absolutely no doubt
that Pukaha Mt Bruce is suitable
for a sustainability programme
aimed at kiwi populations.

``But you can never completely
protect unfenced areas.

``We have got to get the num
bers up to a stage were we can
take occasional hits when our
defences are breached.''

Ironically, the deaths of the
kiwi could be linked, according to
Mr Lester, to the demise of the
rabbit population.

 ``There were a lot of rabbits
around last year and not so many
this year, so wiping out rabbits
could have had an impact.''

Email your thoughts on the
kiwi deaths at Pukaha Mt Bruce
to editor@age.co.nz