The Paparoa Wildlife Trust (PWT) is a dedicated team of individuals providing conservation projects in the South Paparoa Range north of Greymouth on the West Coast. The Trust operates a kiwi recovery program at the Atarau Sanctuary, a predator proof enclosure located off Shellback Road in Atarau. We were lucky enough to be able to attend their 2023 release of reared kiwi chicks to this protected environment.
The sanctuary has been given the name Crèche du Bois Gentil, the Friendly Forest Kiwi Crèche. The imported predators can cause up to 95% mortality of eggs and chicks in the wild. Eggs taken to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch are incubated and raised there for return to the wild within the protection of the crèche.
The target species of the PWT at Atarau Sanctuary is the Great Spotted Kiwi or Roroa in the Māori language. More information can be found about this program and its target species at https://pwt.org.nz/our-projects/great-spotted-kiwi/ .
This event began with a briefing. Chicks are returned from Willowbank at about 800 grams. They forage and thrive in the crèche. When they reach 1.2 kg they can defend themselves against predators and can be released to the wild to reestablish adult kiwi populations. Paired with an extensive predator trapping and eradication program, the ultimate goal is reestablishing wild reproductive success.
We then proceeded to the crèche and introduced the chicks. Each chick is radio tagged and weighed.
This chick weighed in at 785 grams.
The chick was then introduced to a prepared nest and the opening to the nest covered with fern fronds to assist in returning the chick to its nocturnal behavior. We all departed to allow the chick to settle in and grow. The chick will need to adapt to this new habitat and learn to forage here to reach the target weight of 1.2 kg for release to the wild.
The survival of kiwis in the wild is an important goal for New Zealand. This program is key to restoring the viability of the kiwi. As with the Pohatu Penguin experience, we felt very privileged to have the opportunity to attend this important conservation event.
Grampafacts 