Wildlife sanctuary to release endangered native duck during shooting season

Tuesday, 14 May 2019

The pāteke, or brown teal, are the world's fourth rarest dabbling duck.

A rare native duck, which 'freezes' when threatened with danger, is to be released at a Taranaki wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the duck shooting season to draw attention to its endangered status.

Lake Rotokare Scenic Reserve will be the future home for the pāteke, or brown teal, dabbling ducks when volunteers release 20 of the rare waterfowl on Thursday.

Twenty rare pāteke ducks will be released into Taranaki's Lake Rotokare Scenic Reserve on Thursday.

The sanctuary, 12km east of Eltham, has previously successfully released other rare native birds, including kiwi, tieke (North Island saddleback), hihi (stitch-bird), toutouwai (North Island robin), popokatea (whitehead), and recently, titiponamu (rifleman), to the pest-free area.

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Sanctuary manager Simon Collins said the plight of the pāteke was not a well-known conservation story but highlighted the diversity of New Zealand's native species, and the significant challenge to restore the biodiversity.

Pāteke is an endemic New Zealand waterfowl species that was once abundant and widespread, Collins said.

During the past 200 years predators had caused its near extinction with only two wild populations totalling 700 birds surviving in Northland and Great Barrier Island by 2000.

Recovery efforts since by the Department of Conservation, and Pāteke Recovery Group had re-established some self-sustaining populations through significant predator control and captive breeding programmes.

Pāteke are the rarest waterfowl species on mainland New Zealand with between 2000 to 2500 still living in the wild.

The return of pāteke to the region presented new challenges and an opportunity for landscape-scale biodiversity restoration at the sanctuary, Collins said.

The timing of the release was 'slightly ironic' during the duck-shooting season, he said.

The bird is known to freeze to appear invisible, instead of flying away, when it was threatened with danger.

'We figure that this does however highlight the importance of working with the whole community to ensure conservation and recreation can work hand in hand.'

The species is the latest to be returned to Taranaki by the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust, a community-led project focused on restoring our rare species for the benefit of the region.

Trust chairman Steve Kane said the release was a 'really big step forward for Taranaki.'

'Bringing this cute brown teal back to our region is an excellent example of why we're all striving towards a predator - free future, he said.

'We're working with other organisations to secure the future for native species in our region, and importantly ensuring our future generations have the opportunity to know what was nearly lost.'

Kiwi, toutouwai, popokatea, titiponamu, tieke and hihi are thriving in the reserve as a result of significant trapping by private landowners surrounding the sanctuary.

More volunteers are being sought to help with the trapping project.

The trust had worked with Christchurch - based Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, TSB Community Trust and the Air New Zealand-sponsored Pāteke Recovery Group with the latest release.