It was great to hear the good news about Kakapos breeding. I had read
something in a paper about their favourite food plant having produced a
very good crop this year.
I understand that some of the Kakapos are past breeding. And it occurs to
me that this would be one way to allow birders to see a Kakapo, and to
raise more funds for the Kakapo program. Would it not be possible to put
some of the non-breeding kakapos on another island, and charge birdwatchers
a large sum to see them. I'd happily pay $1000 for a kakapo.
What about it, Kiwis?
John
John Penhallurick
Associate Professor John M. Penhallurick<>
Dear John
One problem with this suggestion is that DoC do not know which are
the non-breeders. In the last successful breeding round (if I
remember right) two of the birds that bred are ones that had tried
and failed before, and one who had never shown any interest before.
It seems that some birds can go very long periods without making a
breeding attempt, let alone success, and then successfully breed.
Given the tiny numbers of living kakapo, you cannot take the risk.
That is especially true since the breeding system includes some of
the elements of a lekking system; the presence of other animals, even
if they are not breeding, is quite likely part of the social stimulus
that leads others (especially males) to "boom" - to undergo the
physiological changes preparatory to breeding.
So your only chance is to spend time not money: DoC from time to time
call for volunteer nest guards to go to Codfish and spend a couple of
weeks guarding nests. But since (I gather) rats have been
exterminated on Codfish maybe this is no longer an option. if so, I
have bloody well blown it too, as I have always planned to tick my
kakapo that way.
Greetings and bad luck
Kim
Until April 2002 visting at
Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences
101-40
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California 91125
USA
phone: 626-3953608
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