By the 1960's the South Island saddleback was found only on Big South Cape Island and two tiny adjacent islands—Solomon and Pukaweka. In 1964, 36 birds were rescued from ratinfested Big South Cape and released on neighbouring Kaimohu (15 birds) and Big (Stage) (21 birds), so averting extinction of the subspecies. According to the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International) this was the first instance where a bird in imminent danger of extinction had been saved from extinction and restored to viability in the wild, through direct human intervention. Progeny of those released on Big (Stage) Island have since been periodically cropped to establish more than a dozen new island populations.
DON MERTON
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Bibliographic details
Forest and Bird, Issue 313, 1 August 2004, Page 35
Word Count
115By the 1960's the South Island saddleback was found only on Big South Cape Island and two tiny adjacent islands—Solomon and Pukaweka. In 1964, 36 birds were rescued from ratinfested Big South Cape and released on neighbouring Kaimohu (15 birds) and Big (Stage) (21 birds), so averting extinction of the subspecies. According to the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International) this was the first instance where a bird in imminent danger of extinction had been saved from extinction and restored to viability in the wild, through direct human intervention. Progeny of those released on Big (Stage) Island have since been periodically cropped to establish more than a dozen new island populations. DON MERTON Forest and Bird, Issue 313, 1 August 2004, Page 35
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