12 February 2025, 2:29 AM
Eighteen takahē were released yesterday (11 Feb) into the Rees Valley, near Glenorchy, by Department of Conservation staff in an effort to further expand the birds wild population.Once thought to be extinct, the world's largest flightless rail bird was rediscovered by Dr George Orbell in the Murchison Mountains in 1948. The takahē are a taonga of Ngāi Tahu and unique to New Zealand.The takahē, which travelled from the Burwood Takahē Centre near Te Anau and Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin, made a brief stop at Glenorchy Primary School, where children had the chance to wave them on to their new home.Photo: RealNZMana whenua Ngāi Tahu welcomed the takahē with a mihi whakatau before their release.The latest release of birds follows the successful adaptation of takahē released into the Greenstone Valley in 2023, where they have been raising offspring and maintaining good health.DOC’s Takahē Recovery Senior Ranger, Glen Greaves said that existing wild sites in the Murchison Mountains and Greenstone Valley were nearing capacity, prompting the need for new wild populations.“Finding wild sites with the right habitat and low predator numbers is challenging, but the Greenstone, Rees, and wider Whakatipu areas likely provide high-quality habitat for takahē,” said Greaves.Predator control has been crucial for this translocation, though threats and dispersal into less-protected areas remain a concern.“Setting up new wild populations takes perseverance, and success is not guaranteed,” Greaves added.“We hope people walking the Rees-Dart and Routeburn tracks will soon see takahē thriving in their natural habitat.”Ngāi Tahu representative on the Takahē Recovery Group, Gail Thompson, expressed optimism about the release.“It is my hope the manu will thrive in this valley as they have in the Greenstone Valley, allowing current and future generations to see takahē in their natural environment,” said Thompson.The total takahē population now exceeds 500, growing at about five percent annually, with more than half living at wild sites.Greg Lind, co-chair of Southern Lakes Sanctuary, highlighted the collaborative effort behind the release.“We have been servicing over 500 traps in suitable takahē habitats and focusing on intensive feral cat control,” said Lind.“This release exemplifies the power of collaboration, involving donors, iwi, landowners, community groups, and DOC.”Two more takahē releases are planned for later this year, aiming to establish a population of up to 80 takahē in the Rees Valley by 2025.The DOC’s Takahē Recovery Programme, supported by National Partner Fulton Hogan and New Zealand Nature Fund, along with Ngāi Tahu and Southern Lakes Sanctuary, is working towards creating a self-sustaining population of takahē in the Upper Whakatipu, restoring them to their historical habitat.