Otago kea confirmed to have died from 1080, DOC looks for new ways to protect birds

Thursday, 12 March 2020

Six kea that died in Otago last month are likely to have died from 1080 toxin, autopsies have found.

The birds were among 12 kea monitored by the Kea Conservation Trust in the Matukituki valley in Mt Aspiring National Park.

The remaining six have been confirmed alive since the Department of Conservation's (DOC) aerial 1080 predator control operation was carried out on February 11.

DOC threats director Amber Bill said it was upsetting and disappointing to lose the kea but she was confident the operation and control of rats and stoats would ultimately benefit kea populations.

**READ MORE:

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* Predator plagues and the ongoing battle to save New Zealand's native birds

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* $30.5 million hit planned for 'mega mast'**

Recent rodent monitoring results from the Matukituki area showed rats had been reduced from damaging levels (present in 47 per cent of tracking tunnels) to zero, following the 1080 operation.

Stoat monitoring was under way, she said.

'In light of this incident we will be investing more to explore potential additional measures that DOC can take to reduce the risk to kea in future 1080 predator control operations.'

The programme was also to protect rock wren/pīwauwau, kea and whio, as well as kākāriki, kākā, and South Island robin/toutouwai from a beech mast-fueled rat and stoat plague.

Environmentalists fear the six kea that died in this incident potentially represented hundreds of birds.

However, Bill said it could not be inferred that half the kea in the area would have died.

The monitored kea were monitored by the Kea Conservation Trust and the controls were not designed to test questions about risk to kea from 1080.

The kea were opportunistically caught, many near huts, so were at greater risk as DOC research showed the risk of 1080 to kea increased when birds had learnt to scavenge for human food, she said.

DOC was also considering a campaign to discourage people feeding kea and prevent kea from learning to scrounge.

'Kea are super smart and present unique conservation challenges,' Bill said.

According to DOC figures, there had been 27 kea deaths attributable to 1080 prior to this incident.