kakapo recovering at zoo » Auckland Zoo

Chlidonias · **kakapo recovering at zoo** 25-10-2008

Poisoned kakapo fighting fit again - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz

Quote:

Poisoned kakapo fighting fit again
A kakapo suffering lead poisoning and on the edge of death has been saved by the Auckland Zoo.

The rare bird known as Lee was one of 24 male kakapo from Stewart Island that was moved to Anchor Island in Fiordland in April.

In August the Department of Conservation (DOC) found Lee had lost a lot of weight, losing a kilogram down to 1.2 kilogram.

He was flown to Auckland Zoo’s New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM) for emergency care.

"When Lee arrived, we didn’t have tremendous expectations for him because we didn’t know what was wrong with him, and he was at a dangerously low weight," Auckland Zoo vet Dr John Potter says in a statement.

They found he had toxic levels of lead in his system.

A calcium compound cleared that up.

"It’s hugely pleasing to see Lee so healthy now. He’s put up with twice-daily tube feedings to enable us to get his weight up to more than 1.7kg, and for a bird that’s been held in captivity for the first time, he’s really pretty chilled out.

"We won’t know fully how he is until he’s been back in the wild for a couple of months, but he’s off to a pretty good start."

DOC’s technical support officer for the National Kakapo Team, Daryl Eason, says lead is a common contaminant in the environment and the source could be something like a fisherman’s sinker or gunshot.

"Lee’s situation appears to be an isolated one, as all our other kakapo on both Anchor Island and Codfish Island are in good health, with no weight loss.

"However, as a precaution, we are now blood testing and performing routine health checks," says Eason.

Lee is bound for Codfish Island – his old stomping ground for 25 years.

Lee, one of just 91 kakapo in the world, was found on Stewart Island in 1983 and is at least 25 years old.

DNA results indicate that he could have bred in the past as his genes are represented in other birds, though he has not been observed breeding.

"After this winter’s setback, it’s unlikely he’ll breed this year, but he still has plenty of time for that," says Mr Eason.

Kifaru Bwana · 25-10-2008

Hi Chlidonias,

Is not the Auckland Zoo the preferred site for veterinary emergency intervention for injured or sick kakapo?

Any news on the upcoming breeding season?

What about the rimu ripening (LOL)?

Chlidonias · 26-10-2008

as I understand it, the hospital staff at Auckland Zoo provide all the vet care to the kakapo population when it is needed. Sometimes the vets go to the kakapo, sometimes the kakapo go to the vet (depends on the situation). They used to also hand-rear chicks there in the 90s but now this is done at dedicated kakapo rearing facilities (originally at Burwood Bush in Fiordland apparently, but the seven chicks from last season were reared at a "secret" location in Nelson; one of these chicks unfortunately died so only six returned to Codfish Island to be released).

This year there is supposed to be a bumper crop of rimu fruit (known as a mast year) and there was a media release several months ago about how with the number of breeding-age females they now have there could be as many as SIXTY kakapo chicks hatched this season. But the Codfish Island rimu frequently look set to mass-produce fruit and then fail, so we'll wait and see. Its too early in the year for there to be any eggs yet. I think 60 chicks is way too optimistic but imagine if that did happen! The kakapo population would jump from 91 to 151!

*MARK* · 26-10-2008

Lets hope they have a bumper crop of Kakapo chicks this season they are wonderful birds

Kifaru Bwana · 26-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chlidonias

as I understand it, the hospital staff at Auckland Zoo provide all the vet care to the kakapo population when it is needed. Sometimes the vets go to the kakapo, sometimes the kakapo go to the vet (depends on the situation). They used to also hand-rear chicks there in the 90s but now this is done at dedicated kakapo rearing facilities (originally at Burwood Bush in Fiordland apparently, but the seven chicks from last season were reared at a "secret" location in Nelson; one of these chicks unfortunately died so only six returned to Codfish Island to be released).

This year there is supposed to be a bumper crop of rimu fruit (known as a mast year) and there was a media release several months ago about how with the number of breeding-age females they now have there could be as many as SIXTY kakapo chicks hatched this season. But the Codfish Island rimu frequently look set to mass-produce fruit and then fail, so we'll wait and see. Its too early in the year for there to be any eggs yet. I think 60 chicks is way too optimistic but imagine if that did happen! The kakapo population would jump from 91 to 151!

Thanks Chlidonias,

Wake me up around February-March and we will talk kakapo big time! Keep fingers crossed the rimu mast year is 2009!

Allthough as you say 60 kakapo chicks is really a bit over the top. If they have 30 chicks in all it is already a major achievement. I remain conservative at perhaps 10-15 and that is being optimistic too!

When I will make it to NZ I hope to see the All Blacks on home turf and a kakapo rimu mast year too (than I will be thoroughly happy) and perhaps I gate crash down your lane too!

Cheers + have a nice weekender,

Jelle

Chlidonias · 26-10-2008

there was also this item last week which is interesting
Kakapo perfume could get them breeding - New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz

Quote:

Kakapo perfume could get them breeding
Tuesday, 21 October 2008

SEXY SCENT: Body odour is thought to be a big factor in the way some kakapo males had females queuing up for a romantic fling while other males stood idly by.

A perfume may be developed for male kakapo in a bid to make them more attractive to the opposite sex of the endangered species.

This follows research into why some males of the native parrot have greater pulling power than others.

Body odour was thought to be a big factor in the way some kakapo males had females queuing up for a romantic fling while other males stood idly by, Massey University biologist, Associate Professor Dianne Brunton said.

Only 91 of the parrots were left and if a perfume could be developed it might help with the breeding programme, Dr Brunton told The New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Under the programme, feathers clipped from young birds would be sent to America to see if the unique, sweet and vegetative odour may influence mating behaviour.

Dr Brunton said body odour probably played a big role in female's choice of male mating partners.

"Some males do extremely well...females queue up and wait for them even when other males are available," she said.

Kakapo males smelt strongly but the unique characteristics of the scents were not understood, she said.

About 60 feathers taken from live kakapo during health checks would be sent for analysis to animal olfactory chemist Professor Tom Goodwin at the Hendrix College in Arkansas.

Prof Goodwin would analyse the samples using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, a machine that could measure the volatile chemicals of kakapo feathers.

The results would be compared with the fragrances of other native parrots such as kaka, kea and kakariki to try to identify the unique characteristics of male kakapo feather odour.

Dr Brunton said it was a "a bit of a long shot", but if it helped create a synthetic kakapo perfume it could encourage more diverse breeding.

glyn · 26-10-2008

i love this story. i think it just goes to show that all around the world, zoos, in many different ways, are playing their part in the recovery of endangered species!

gentle lemur · 26-10-2008

Good job they found him in time. Fingers crossed for the breeding season: gentlemen, get ready to boom and ladies, eat up all your greens!

Alan

Chlidonias · **Lee the kakapo dies at Auckland Zoo...** 01-11-2008

Ancient kakapo dies despite three-hour op - New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz

Quote:

Ancient kakapo dies despite three-hour op

An endangered kakapo that may have been nearly 100 years old has died at Auckland Zoo despite a three-hour emergency operation last night.

The bird, named Lee, had been moved from Fiordland in April after he suffered lead poisoning - believed to be linked to fishing sinkers or buckshot.

Just a week ago the zoo said Lee had been saved and was to be returned to Codfish Island in Fiordland.

In a statement the zoo said Lee died last night and a post-mortem revealed he died from a small tear in the side of his crop – the sac-like part of the bird's digestive system where food is stored before it enters the stomach.

The tear caused food to escape into the surrounding tissues, resulting in severe inflammation.

Vets also discovered several areas of thinning in the crop wall, which they say could have predisposed Lee to this type of injury.

"A tear in the crop is the equivalent of a stomach rupture in a human with the resulting, and often fatal, peritonitis," says the zoo's Centre for Conservation Medicine senior vet, Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff.

"While working to repair this injury, Lee's heart stopped twice, but we managed to resuscitate him. However, he went into cardiac arrest again at the end of the procedure, and this time we were unable to bring him back – the shock on his system just too great."

He said that he and the rest of the vet team were devastated by Lee's death.

Until Monday evening Lee, a founder kakapo who could be up to 100 years old, appeared to be in good shape, was behaving normally, and continuing to put on weight.

However, by Tuesday morning he had deteriorated and had not digested any of the food from his last feed.

"When he arrived, Lee was emaciated, weighing just 1.2kg, and his survival was seriously in doubt, so gaining body weight was critical if he was going to pull through.

Experience shows wild-caught adult kakapo do not readily adapt to eating in captivity, so tube feeding was the only way to provide adequate nutrition.

"Tragically, we had no warning signs of this tear to his crop, as all his test results were healthy," said Dr Jakob-Hoff.

The Department of Conservation said crop feeding has been used with great success over the years to nurture kakapo back to health. DOC's technical supporter officer for the Kakapo Recovery Team, Daryl Eason, said that since 2001, 21 kakapo have been crop fed and three were fed for periods of two and eight months. He said that without such feeding, it was highly unlikely they would be alive today.

"Age seems to be the main difference between these latter three birds and Lee – they were all juveniles, whereas Lee was potentially a very old bird," said Mr Eason.

"This highlights the inevitable – that we're going to see an increase in age-related deaths in kakapo. Forty-six per cent of the current population are of unknown age (at least 27 years) – these are the founding birds transferred from Stewart Island to the safety of Codfish or Little Barrier islands in the 1980s.

"Over the coming decades these birds will be reaching the end of their lifespan, so we expect to see the population stay relatively stable, as older birds die and are replaced with young. The health of the population will however, continue to improve as this age structure shifts," said Mr Eason.

"All of this reaffirms that the kakapo population is still very vulnerable, and that the intense management programme we are running is critical to the survival of this species."

Kifaru Bwana · 01-11-2008

A sad and devastating loss for the kakapo programme whose current population is currently still dangerously low at 90 individuals. I just hope that veterinary authorities can learn from this episode and perhaps try to invest in recovering Lee's genes (e.g. by electro-manipulation for sperm collection) for the entire population.

Perhaps he really was an old bird and it would be interesting for scientists to discover what age he was exactly in order to improve our understanding of kakapo ageing. Perhaps, even his non-breeding status of late was really to do with age than anything else?

dragon(ele)nerd · 01-11-2008

I hope thye best for the Kakapo's they are really interesting animals, poor birds though being only around 90 of them left,

Chlidonias · 13-11-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chlidonias

This year there is supposed to be a bumper crop of rimu fruit (known as a mast year) and there was a media release several months ago about how with the number of breeding-age females they now have there could be as many as SIXTY kakapo chicks hatched this season. But the Codfish Island rimu frequently look set to mass-produce fruit and then fail, so we'll wait and see. Its too early in the year for there to be any eggs yet. I think 60 chicks is way too optimistic but imagine if that did happen! The kakapo population would jump from 91 to 151!

just found out that the rimu has fruited well this year and there is lots of it around on Codfish. There are 38 breeding-age female kakapo this year, so maybe 60 chicks isn't too much of a stretch! Last season there was 100% fertility in eggs laid, although not all the chicks survived once hatched for one reason or another. Fingers crossed for everything going well.

Kifaru Bwana · 13-11-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chlidonias

just found out that the rimu has fruited well this year and there is lots of it around on Codfish. There are 38 breeding-age female kakapo this year, so maybe 60 chicks isn't too much of a stretch! Last season there was 100% fertility in eggs laid, although not all the chicks survived once hatched for one reason or another. Fingers crossed for everything going well.

Chlidonias,

Fingers crossed for the best rimu-kakapo season to date in 2008/2009.

Anyhow, how come that last season with 100% fertility in the breeding kakapo only 4-5 females laid? Was 2007/2008 not sucha good rimu season?

Chlidonias · 14-11-2008

I'm not sure, it may have been due to the rimu crop; or it may even have been due to some of the females being old birds. Two of the females that bred last year were first-timer six-year-olds. There were ten eggs laid total, of which seven hatched and six chicks were raised successfully (I believe three of the eggs were broken by the parents or were otherwise rendered unviable). In the previous breeding season (2005) the percentage of fertile eggs was only 58%. Although there are 38 breeding-age females this year it may be too optimistic to assume all will lay (like counting your eggs before they are hatched)

Chlidonias · **another kakapo at the zoo** 20-11-2008

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4765107a4560.html

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A female kakapo who indelicately injured herself by sitting on a sharp stick has been repaired at the Auckland Zoo.

A Department of Conservation national kakapo team member discovered "Sarah" and her predicament last month on Codfish Island in the far south.

She was flown to Auckland to be treated by the vet team at the zoo's New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine.

"Sarah was in a potentially life-threatening state when she arrived. She had a nasty wound to her cloaca and had lost a lot of weight through not being able to forage," Dr John Potter said.

"She's responded exceptionally well to treatment and has proven to be a quick healer. She's also been self-feeding on kumara, apple, nikau berries and other native plants, which has meant that we've been able to keep tube feeding her with high-protein parrot formula to a minimum.

"Kakapo don't generally self-feed in a captive situation, so that's been especially pleasing. By nature, Sarah is a very feisty bird, and I think this has also contributed to her fast recovery. Since arriving she has put on over 170 grams, and now weighs over 1140 grams," says Dr Potter.

Programme manager for the National Kakapo Team, Deidre Vercoe, says while Sarah is unlikely to breed this coming season due her needing time to recover, she is a good breeder and is likely to breed again in the future.

Sarah, who is being flown home tomorrow morning, is one of the original founder kakapo birds from Stewart Island. Discovered there in 1989 and relocated to Codfish Island, she has produced two offspring in the past six years - six-year-old male Ariki, and three-year-old female, Pounamu.

The total kakapo population is currently 90 birds, but Ms Vercoe says that with the bumper breeding season expected this coming summer, due to the heavy fruiting of rimu trees, that figure is likely to rise.

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