Diary Page

January 2003

Stunning photos of new kaka chicks

These tiny kaka chicks are the first chicks to hatch in the Wellington area for perhaps one hundred years.
		Five chicks in a nest , 30 January 2003 Photo: John Shorland
13 gm chick, 3 days old, 30 Jan 2003 Photo: John Shorland		80 gm chick, 8 days old, 30 Jan 2003 Photo: John Shorland

Last spring six captive-bred kaka, two male and four female, were released in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary thanks to a generous gift from the W.N. Pharazyn Charitable Trust who sponsored the release programme. Three were from Auckland Zoo and three from Hamilton Zoo. All were young birds, the Auckland birds nearly one year old and the Hamilton birds almost two years old.

An Auckland female and Hamilton male paired up and laid a full clutch of five eggs in the Sanctuary. The male parent is the kaka that made a well publicised foray to Wellington's southern suburbs shortly after being released last year. However, the successful production of chicks is a positive sign that these kaka have made the Sanctuary their permanent home.

The female alone incubates the eggs and is fed by her mate near the nest site. Both parents will share the responsibility of feeding the chicks, although the male doesn't feed the chicks directly until they have left the nest. The chicks won't leave the nest until they are at least two months old then it will be another 5 months before they have learned enough about being a kaka to become independent.

Kiwi Kids Day at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary was buzzing over Wellington Anniversary weekend. (Jan 20 2003) The long weekend saw people from far and wide come to the Sanctuary to discover this unique wilderness experience in the heart of our capital city. Visitors took advantage of the sunny weather by bringing a picnic lunch then exploring the Sanctuary at their leisure discovering more native birds like saddleback and kaka as well as native plants and trees.
		Abby Taylor - Photography by Woolf.

One of the species released in the Sanctuary is the little spotted kiwi - New Zealand's smallest kiwi - so on the Sunday the Sanctuary celebrated Kiwi Kids Day where people could come along and learn more about one of our national icons - the kiwi.

There was lots of fun and activities for kids of all ages including a fact-finding quiz, face painting, story telling and colouring competition.

Sanctuary Sales and Marketing Manager, Janet Childs said, "the weekend was a great success with over 2,000 people visiting the Sanctuary over the long weekend. It was a great family day and people said they had lots of fun learning something new about the kiwi too."

The day was so popular that Kiwi Kids Day is likely to be an annual event at the Sanctuary.

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