OTAGO'S ROYAL ALBATROSSES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 530, 19 August 1949, Page 16

OTAGO'S ROYAL ALBATROSSES

a Written for "The Listener’ by

L. E.

RICHDALE

> S far as I have been able to discover from the evidence available, the female of the first mated pair of royal albatrosses to lay at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula did so in 1920..The egg was promptly confiscated by a near-by resident, who explained to me many years later that if he had not taken the egg "the other fellows would have." The shell of that egg lies to-day in the Otago Museum, Since 1920, human interference has dogged the attempts of the birds to hatch a chick, and year after year until 1935, there was keen competition for the eggs. In that year, however, for some strange reason, nobody wanted the egg, and a baby albatross was actually allowed to hatch; unfortunately the little creature, when only six weeks old, was killed, allegedly by a ‘stoat. It was late in 1936 when I paid my first visit to Taiaroa Head, and there, on a grassy path before my astonished gaze, sat a father albatross, and beneath him a large, white egg. That egg, too, was stolen. In 1937, the birds again laid and I was determined on this occasion to do all in my power to prevent a repetition of the previous loss. Keeping a close vigil, I almost literally lived alongside the nest, making a special point of being present all day every Saturday and Sunday. At this juncture, the Otago Branch of the Royal Society was asked for assistance, which was readily forthcoming. The first fence was built. On "September 27, 1938, our efforts were rewarded when the first baby albatross flew from Taiaroa Head. HE news of the event quickly spread and people soon found means of evading the obstacle created by the fence and gaining unauthorised admission to the area. Something more was necessary. I next turned to the Harbour Board, which administered the area where the albatrosses were endeavouring to establish a colony, and well I remember meeting the executive officers.

After considerable discussion, the late J. McGregor Wilkie, Harbour Board Engineer, turned to me and said, "Well, what would you like?" "A second fence," I replied. "Right," said Mr. Wilkie. And the fence was erected."From that day until he died recently, Mr. Wilkie was a staunch champion of the albatrosses and, in my opinion, no one has been more influential in preserving the bitds to the extent to which they are preserved today. : The war came, and in the first year of the area’s occupation by the army, no fewer than five baby albatrosses were teared-a splendid achievement. But the ending of the war was followed by the period of greatest loss since 1935, culminating (at the end of January, 1949) in the destruction of two chicks as they were hatching. SINCE 1935, 44 eggs have been laid, and from that number only 15 chicks have been reared. According to my observations, only four of the losses have been due to natural causes. These facts speak for themselves and do not make a happy picture. Moreover, a point that is rarely realised is that the losses have not. been due to vandalism in spite of what has been published to the contrary.

The losses have been caused by unconscious destruction. by well-inten-tioned but curious people and by people who can see no reason why they should not be admitted to the area. One example may help to explain the situation. In 1946, two females each laid an egg, and other non-breeding birds were in the area in preparation for breeding in later seasons. Sheep were also grazing inside the sanctuary. The constant presence of people unlawfully entering the sanctuary agitated the sheep which, becoming more and more frightened, eventually stampeded over the nests and smashed the eggs. More devastating still, under such conditions, the non-breeding birds found the place untenable. Some congregated on the water, but two others, a male and a female, sought privacy in a quiet area some 500 yards outside the ‘sanctuary. Here, in 1947, the female became entangled in a mass of barbedwire placed on the ground for defence purposes and had to be killed. That female happened to be the first chick reared at Taiaroa to return to her place of hatching. And what a return! Tragedy overtook her because of the unconscious action of certain people entering the sanctuary without authority. The death (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) of that important bird may. well cost us the existence of the colony, for being a young bird she was ready to fill the gap left by older. birds that are beginning to disappear. , N 1948, the Department of Internal Affairs, which is in charge of much of the wild life in New Zealand, entered the arena with the aim of assisting those desperately striving to perpetuate the albatross community. A ranger has been appointed, and officers of the Department have visited the area from time to time. The Department has managed to collect a considerable amount of information regarding the unlawful entry into the sanctuary and now knows where the trouble lies. Before the chicks were destroyed last January, it was discovered that the gate leading to the enclosure had been forced and firearms discharged. Spent cartridges lying about on the ground were collected, and the damage to the gate ascertained. Police action was not taken, but many people are of the opinion that such a step would have touched the very root of the trouble and possibly further interference at Taiaroa would have been negligible. We can only hope that’ the transgressors are sensible enough to read the writing on the wall and that what has happened may be sufficient to make ‘them desist from their illegal practices. Most people in New Zealand regard the colony as a ‘unique national asset and earnestly ‘de- ~ sire its perpetuation, but they. are unable to understand why the destruction continues. I trust that° this article may thréw some light on the situation. Personally, I should like to take’ this opportunity to thank the Department for its interest in the albatrosses and in other matters on the Otago .Peninsula-its entry is most opportune. To the Otago Harbour Board, and to Mr. Wilkie, who held the fort so long, words cannot ex+ press the debt that is owing to them. A final word-Dr. E. Laurence Palmer, Professor of Nature Study and Rural Education at Cornell University, New, York, has for the week preceding the writing of this article, been visiting Dunedin. In a farewell message in the Otago Daily Times, Dr. Palmer said, "I am not quite certain whether some of Dunedin’s assets are appreciated. For instance, the albatross colony on the Peninsula is a sensational thing. In America, ywe would be fighting to ‘keep it: Here, apart from a small number of people, nobody worries about the birds. If your politicians do not step in soon there will be nothing to worry about." What I fear most is that we are already too late. I fear, too, that when those chicks were destroyed last January, the parents in charge suffered the same fate.