North Island weka recovery plan

Forest and Bird, Volume 22, Issue 4, 1 November 1991, Page 9

North Island weka recovery plan

PROJECT WEKA is the latest in a series of Forest and Bird projects sponsored by Trilogy Business Systems. The North Island weka has declined markedly in the last 10 years, and Forest and Bird, together with the Department of Conservation, have launched a recovery programme to try and reverse this situation. This mischeivous bird is an endearing sight in the bush and normally a plucky survivor of changing conditions. But for some reason, possibly due to severe drought, numbers are declining fast. Ann Graeme, Forest and Bird Regional Field Officer, is in charge of this programme and so far has 10 people who are willing to undertake captive rearing of wekas to boost the numbers of wild wekas in the Central North Island. Forest and Bird members Andre Bakker and Judith Leonard of Lower Hutt are the first lucky people to receive a weka to care for under this programme. "I had just finished the

‘wekary’, as we Call it, and been given my permit from DoC when | heard that our female bird would be arriving almost immediately," said Andre. "We are thrilled to have her here, and we have named her Winifred. She was very nervous for the first two days but now she is quite friendly and relaxed. I hope to have a partner for her soon so that we can begin the process of getting birds back into the wild." Pictured are some of the team from Trilogy Business Systems Wellington welcoming Winifred on behalf of Trilogy — principal sponsor of the North Island Weka Recovery Project.