Giant tui takes to the streets to help raise money for Sanctuary

Wellingtonians be warned… those troublemaking tui are at it again! This time, however, it’s not the sound of singing practice that will be ringing in our ears, but the sound of tin-rattling.

An oversized tui will be leading a flock of over 100 black and white-bibbed Karori Sanctuary collectors around the city centre tomorrow.

The volunteers will be collecting for vital conservation and ecological restoration work at the world-first wildlife safe haven, which costs over $2 million a year to run. Among the collectors will be outgoing Wellington Central MP Marian Hobbs, a stalwart supporter of the Sanctuary since it was founded in 1995.

"I used to hear tuis only when I went tramping,” said Marian.

“Now I hear them every morning. And I still love them, even when they are practicing the one note! Thank you, Karori Sanctuary, and also thank you for keeping the giant weta on your side of the fence!"

The Sanctuary has only been on the scene for just twelve years, but already the difference to Wellington’s wildlife is extraordinary. Tui numbers have exploded, and acutely threatened birds like the kaka, which had been extinct in Wellington since the early 1900s, are now being seen in people’s gardens!

“As a charitable community trust, we rely totally on donations, grants, membership subscriptions and visitors” said Sanctuary chief executive Nancy McIntosh-Ward.

“Tomorrow’s appeal is a great opportunity for Wellingtonians to support their Sanctuary and make a real difference to native wildlife in Wellington.”

And it’s not too late to support the Sanctuary.

Call 04 920 9200 to make a donation by credit card

Visit www.sanctuary.org.nz to find other ways you can help

ENDS

Additional information

• The Sanctuary was the first project of its kind anywhere in the world.
• An 8.6km predator fence encloses a 225ha valley from which the 13 most harmful pest mammals have been eradicated
• Breeding populations of 15 endangered native animal species including tuatara, little spotted kiwi and hihi (stitchbird) have been re-established
• Tui numbers in Wellington have sky-rocketed since 1995 when the Sanctuary was established, helped along by the City and Regional Councils’ widespread pest-control programmes
• Earlier this year, Karori Sanctuary hit the headlines when it received calls complaining about tui ‘noise pollution’
• The Sanctuary street appeal has raised over $20,000 since 2006
• The giant Tui was one half of the “Tui and Beatrice” combination which fronted a Contact Energy advertising campaign a few years ago. Contact Energy sponsors the Sanctuary’s education programme, and has donated the Tui to the Sanctuary.