Rangers Fear Park Wekas May Fight

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31057, 12 May 1966, Page 1

Rangers Fear Park Wekas May Fight

National park rangers at Arthurs Pass fear that an unbalanced ratio of males to females could lead to severe fighting in the park soon.

They say the situation is likely to occur when the males and females get loose in the park on or about May 28 Disclosing his uneasiness yesterday, the chief ranger, Mr Peter Croft, said he was referring to a batch of 33 buff wekas—l9 males and 14 females —which are now held captive, “separately.” in the Porter river area of the park. The u'ekas were brought from the Chatham Islands about a fortnight ago in a new attempt to establish them in their original home —Canterbury. It was not until they reached Christchurch and were sexed that the disastrous inbalance in the malefemale ratio was discovered. Mr Croft said the birds— I about the size of pullets—would be liberated in a fortI night’s time over a period of [three or four days. He said they would be lib-

erated in mixed batches to minimise the possible fighting for mates. While the birds were getting their bearings, there was a good chance that peace would continue. Wekas are like kiwis in that neither species can fiy and like magpies in their insatiable curosity and habit of taking shiny objects from people’s picnic baskets. Wekas also have a squatting craze. They stake out a piece of land, about an acre, and stop at nothing, even a stand-up fight, to preserve their dominion over it.

In their mating habits they also show heights of independence and domestic instability. It is not uncommon for the male to trample maliciously under foot the eggs the female so lovingly cares for during the three weeks incubation period. Such action invariably arouses indignation in the female breast and a “scene” occurs.

In spite of all these problems. Mr Croft has high hopes that the batch of new arrivals will flourish and multiply. “It will be nice to have them back where they belong,” he said.