Heritage et AL

Rats are a big deal in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Not only do they pass on diseases to people and domestic animals but they also pose a serious threat to our native fauna, which is vulnerable to these exceedingly tenacious vermin. For example, in 1959 rats invaded the tiny island of Ruapuke/Maria Island in the Hauraki Gulf (part of the Noises Islands). The rats made short work of the local population of birds, killing nearly 1,000 storm petrels . Ref: Auckland Weekly News, stormy petrel, Moko Hinau Island, 1937, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19371006-44-8 Quick action was taken and with the aid of a Wildlife Service grant of £5 and the efforts of a Forest and Bird Protection Society group led by A. McDonald from Waiheke Island, the rat population was decimated. The island was surveyed the following year to check for signs of rats but none were found. A program of surveys and poisoning continued for a number of years until 1964 when the rat population ...

In a country without any native mammals, birds are an important part of the ecosystem.Take for example the endangered kiwi - NZ's national icon and unofficial national emblem. Efforts to save this unique bird in the Auckland region have seen their release in the Tawharanui Regional Park , NZ's first open sanctuary. The nickname 'Kiwis' was first applied to NZers during the First World War by Australian soldiers. Other native birds such as tui and the slow breeding  kākāpō  are also an important part of what makes NZ unique. Our coastlines are rich with a vast array of sea birds - in fact NZ has the largest diversity of seabirds on its shores and islands than any other country in the world. Gannets fight for space in places like Muriwai and Hawke's Bay, whilst dotterels like to dart around in a most comical fashion along the mudflats and estuaries in places like Muriwai. Although not native to NZ, chickens have had a long history in NZ, with the first chick...