What's Killing Kiwi at Mt Bruce – A Predator Free Case Study

Information provided by the Department of Conservation shows that kiwi are dying in large numbers at Mt Bruce.

Pukaka – Mt Bruce – is a 942 hectare, un-fenced wildlife sanctuary situated in the Wairarapa. It was initiated in 2001, and has since absorbed around 3 million dollars of public funding, various grants and donations.

A report commissioned in 2015, and undertaken by Dr Helen Blackie, states that all of the introduced species which include kaka, kokako, and kiwi, “have thrived”. However, the information provided by the Department of Conservation contradicts the statements made by Dr Blackie, and paints a very different story.

Since 2003 over 120 radio tagged kiwi have been released into the Mt Bruce reserve. 49 have been recorded as dead, with many others missing, presumed dead. Just four radio tagged kiwi remain in the forest, with another DoC-estimated five to ten un-monitored, free-range individuals.

In 2010 six kaka died, and in her report Dr Blackie states that anti-coagulant poisons in bait-stations was the likely culprit. In an OIA the Department of Conservation declared that four kaka had died (not six) and that two of them were poisoned by a neighbour, and two were unknown causes of death. 12 kiwi also died in 2010, and their deaths were attributed to predation, despite there being over 1000 traps and another 1100 poison bait-stations positioned across the 942 hectare plot.. None of the kiwi were tested for poison residues.

In addition to the ground baiting and trapping management, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and the Horizons Regional Council also undertake extensive perimeter pest control. In addition to this saturating trapping and ground poisoning regime, each of the last three years - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - aerial 1080 poison was applied to the whole sanctuary.

Still the kiwi die. The aerial poison drops have done little to stem the deaths. Nine kiwi died in 2015 with another four in 2016. ... To view the full story, click on this link or copy and paste to your browser ... https://youtu.be/yGTVaTATbOg

ENDS

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