Endangered stitchbird to join Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
Stitchbird (hihi) will be the latest species to join Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. 60 stitchbird will be transferred to the
Sanctuary from Tiritiri Matangi Island in two stages. Up to 30 birds will be transferred in mid February and another 30
will be transferred in May.
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Photograph courtesy of and by Peter Reese.
“This is a significant event for New Zealand and for the Sanctuary. Stitchbirds have been extinct from the wild on the
mainland of New Zealand for 120 years. We hope that the stitchbirds will flourish in the safety of the Sanctuary, adding
to our visitors appreciation of our natural heritage, right in the middle of a major city”, says Karori Wildlife
Sanctuary Chief Executive Nancy McIntosh-Ward.
The last time stitchbird were seen on the mainland was in the 1880’s in the Tararua’s.
The transfer of stitchbird from Tiritiri Matangi Island to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is the first step of Department of
Conservation’s new five-year recovery plan for the stitchbird recently announced by the Prime Minister. The only
self-sustaining population is found on Little Barrier Island and there are two introduced managed populations – on
Kapiti Island and Tiritiri Matangi Island.
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary’s conservation scientist Raewyn Empson will oversee the capture and relocation of the birds
with the support of local iwi, Department of Conservation and Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi. Financial support for the
transfer has been provided by Pub Charity Inc.
Stitchbird will be joining two other species that Karori Wildlife Sanctuary has brought back to their natural
environment on the mainland of New Zealand for the first time in over 100 years – little spotted kiwi and North Island
saddleback.