11/03/2025
Waddling on the Edge: The Kakapo's Last Stand with Just 124 Left
In the misty forests of New Zealand’s remote islands, a peculiar bird roams under the cover of darkness: the kakapo. This flightless, nocturnal parrot is a true oddity—think a hefty 4-kilogram body, moss-green feathers that blend into the ferns, and a booming call that echoes for miles. But the kakapo is more than a quirky marvel; it’s a species on the brink, with only 124 individuals left in the world as of early 2025.
Once widespread across New Zealand, kakapos thrived in a land free of mammalian predators. But when humans arrived—first Polynesian settlers, then Europeans—they brought rats, cats, and stoats that preyed on the defenseless birds. Unable to fly and prone to freezing when scared, kakapos were easy targets. Habitat loss from deforestation only worsened their plight. By the late 20th century, they were nearly gone, their haunting booms fading from the forests.
Today, the remaining kakapos live on three predator-free islands—Whenua Hou, Anchor, and Hauturu-o-Toi—under the watchful eye of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Every bird is named and tracked with radio transmitters. Rangers provide extra food to boost breeding, use artificial insemination to improve genetic diversity, and even employ drones to transport s***m across islands. When eggs are laid, some are swapped for 3D-printed fakes and incubated safely to ensure survival. In 2019, over 70 chicks hatched in a record-breaking season, but losses from diseases like aspergillosis and the birds’ slow breeding cycles—tied to the irregular fruiting of rimu trees—keep numbers precarious.
The challenges are daunting. Climate change threatens rimu fruit cycles, inbreeding weakens the gene pool, and a single disease outbreak could be catastrophic for such a small population. Yet there’s hope. The Kākāpō Recovery team dreams of a day when kakapos can return to the mainland, their calls filling the forests again. Plans are underway to create larger predator-free sanctuaries, and New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 initiative aims to eradicate invasive pests nationwide.
With only 124 kakapos left, every breeding season is a make-or-break moment. These birds are a living link to a lost world—let’s help ensure their booms don’t fade forever. 🦜
✍️ Written by AWPC WILD TV
Image source: Internet
