Story: Threatened species
This is all that remains of Solomon, an adult kākāpō caught by a wild cat. A tag from its foot is visible. Having driven kākāpō to the brink of extinction, human actions are now the reason for its survival. In the 1970s only 18 birds were known in the wild, in Fiordland. Then in 1977, 85 more birds were found on southern Stewart Island. Wild cats were killing them, and 61 birds were taken to predator-free islands in the early 1980s. In 2005, kākāpō were classified as ‘nationally critical’. By 2007 there were just 86.
About this item
Department of Conservation
Reference: 10027982
Photograph by A. K. Munn
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