The following is an outline written by Don Merton of the New Zealand
Department of Conservation. He has been working towards saving the kakapo for the past thirty years.

• 1974
• Species rediscovered- two males were located in Esperance Valley, Fiordland. (Subsequently these were transferred to Maud Island as a part of a conservation programme.)
• First sound recordings obtained- including a range of calls (other than booming). Many of these calls have not been recorded again, and some are still used by Radio NZ in its broadcast "morning birdcall"!
• The first cine footage of a live kakapo was obtained by TVNZ.
• Established that kakapo are solitary in habit.

• 1975
• A further five (males) found in Fiordland (one of which was transferred to Maud Island).
• Booming and associated (dancing) display observed, described and photographed for the first time (via light-intensified scope).
• First sound-recordings of booming call obtained.
• Discovered significance of "tracks" and "bowls"- i.e. that "track and bowl systems" have a courtship function and that the booming call is in fact part of courtship display and is produced from in or near a bowl or "court".
• Proposed hypothesis that kakapo have a "lek" courtship system (hypothesis rejected by most NZ authorities!).

• 1977
• A total of 18 (males) now known in Fiordland- concluded that this represented an aged, fragmented, remnant, single-sex population that was beyond recovery. Technically, the kakapo was already extinct.
• Species rediscovered on Stewart Island (about 200 birds)- including largest active "arena" known this century (over 20 calling males)- a reprieve for the kakapo and for those striving to save it!

• 1980
• Established that females still exist! On Stewart Island captured the first (4) females since the turn of the century: Survival and recovery of the species thus became a realistic goal.
• Established that, contrary to some early reports kakapo (both sexes) are in fact entirely flightless.

• 1980-91
• Field research by New Zealand Wildlife Service, Department of Conservation and University researchers- often under extremely difficult conditions- provided important advances in knowledge and understanding of social behavior, home-range size, movements, foods and feeding behavior and courtship and breeding behavior.
• Confirmed that Richard Henry's (much maligned) contention, dating from the 1890's that breeding occurred only in those years when booming was heard, and that booming occurred synchronously within a population at 2-3 yearly intervals, was in fact substantially correct.
• Established that kakapo are entirely herbivorous.

• 1981
• The first cine record of booming display was obtained on Stewart Island by Natural History Unit, TVNZ.
• The first (2) nests seen since the turn of the century were found on Stewart Island.
• Made the first observations of a female and nestling at a nest.
• Obtained the first sound recordings of nestling calls and of feeding.
• Obtained the first still and cine photographic record of behavior at a nest.
• Confirmed that the female alone tends the nest.
• Discovered that predation by feral cats was rapidly destroying the Stewart Island population. Cat control measures were instigated and proved an effective short-term solution.

• 1981-92
• Entire (remnant) Stewart Island population (61 birds) was relocated to (4) off-shore islands so as to protect it from feral cats, thus effectively destroying the last natural population known. This is one of a very few instances anywhere where every known individual of a species (genus in this case) has been relocated. (No losses occurred in transit!)

• 1984
• Lek mating hypothesis finally accepted. With publication (in "Ibis") came general acceptance and the opportunity to at last integrate implications of this important behavioral discovery into management.

• 1987
• Booming was heard for the last time in Fiordland. Of the 18 males located in Fiordland during the 1970's only three are known to have survived there until 1987- all three were heard booming early in that year. Since then there has been no indication that the species still exists in this, its final stronghold. Thus, it seems the kakapo is now extinct throughout the main islands of New Zealand.

• 1989
• "Kakapo Recovery Plan: 1989-94" developed and implemented- the first such plan for a threatened New Zealand animal.
• Kakapo Recovery Group established to oversee implementation of Recovery Plan- the first threatened species recovery group established in NZ. The Plan and Group ushered in a new (now widely accepted) concept in threatened species recovery in NZ.
• Major sponsorship agreement formalized: Comalco (NZ) Ltd. undertook to sponsor the Kakapo Recovery Programme for the duration of the Recovery Plan (5 years)- the first major sponsorship involving a threatened NZ species.
• Resolved that due to the fact that breeding had not occurred on Little Barrier Island since translocation seven years earlier, further intervention was necessary: Supplementary feeding of some Little Barrier Island females began in an attempt to induce breeding.

• 1989-92
• Pilot supplementary feeding programme involving up to five females on Little Barrier Island proved practical and effective not only in facilitating reproduction, but increasing the frequency of breeding attempts. Four of the five supplementary-fed females laid- two of them in successive years- and two young were raised in 1991. This simple but important experiment confirmed (i) that translocated kakapo can breed successfully; (ii) that with support successful breeding is feasible on Little Barrier, and (iii) that given adequate nutrition kakapo are capable of laying at 12 monthly intervals.

• 1992
• "Richard Henry" a male kakapo transferred from Fiordland to Maud Island in 1975- and in 1982 from Maud to Little Barrier Island- was found alive and in good condition on Little Barrier. He is the only individual from the South Island known to exist, and since his genetic contribution is considered important efforts are being made to bring him into the management programme.
• At least five (non supplemenary-fed) females on Codfish Island achieved breeding condition and four are known to have hatched chicks. However, natural food crops failed with the result that (with the exception of three nestlings rescued for hand-raising, one of which survived) all young starved: the "non-intervention" policy which until this time had applied on Codfish was thus shown to be inappropriate. Also, it was demonstrated:
  • that monitoring and direct intervention at nests (including fostering) is practicable
  • that long distance transfer of (weakened) nestlings is feasible
  • that hand-raising is feasible (one of three seriously underweight nestlings rescued from nests on Codfish Is. was successfully hand-raised from about five weeks of age by Auckland Zoo staff- the first kakapo to be reared in captivity)
  • That it is possible to maintain (partially hand-raised) kakapo in captivity.

• 1993
• A non-supplementary-fed female on Little Barrier Island nested and incubated an infertile clutch. This is the only breeding attempt known by a non-managed female on Little Barrier since kakapo were placed on the island in 1982.
• As a consequence of the disasterous kakapo breeding season on Codfish Island in 1992, which was clearly compounded by the policy there to neither monitor/support breeding females nor protect nests, the pilot supplementary-feeding programme was extended in late 1992/93 to, so far as practicable, include all females on Codfish Island. (This latter policy has applied to Little Barrier since 1989 (4-5 females) and on Maud since (2) females were placed there in 1991.) Thus, nationally there are now 13 females (80% of those known to exist) within the management programme and high priority has been given to locating and bringing the remaining females into the programme.

Don Merton
Senior Technical Officer
Kakapo Management Group
Department of Conservation
PO Box 10 420
WELLINGTON, NZ.

For more recent information, see the latest Kakapo Update