Takahē seniors to spend retirement at Zealandia
by Morning Report · RNZA pair of senior takahē are set to make Wellington wildlife sanctuary Zealandia their new home.
The duo, 13-year-old Autahi and 16-year-old Hopi, come from the Department of Conservation's Burwood Takahē Centre near Te Anau and will bring the number of takahē currently living wild at Zealandia to five.
Zealandia general manager conservation and restoration, Jo Ledington, told Morning Report the pair had made a special trip from the south early on Wednesday morning.
"They were captured at Burwood near Te Anau, and they'll be driven up to Queenstown, and then a direct flight to Wellington."
The South Island takahē are two of just 520 of the species remaining, and were welcomed by members of Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāi Tahu, alongside Zealandia staff and volunteers.
Autahi and Hopi will join Waitaa and Bendigo, a young couple who were presumed infertile, however produced a "miracle" chick in 2025.
While the new residents will be welcomed, takahē are known to be territorial, so they will remain separated from the others.
Ledington said this could mean they are hard to spot for visitors for a little while until they get settled.
Zealandia chief executive Dr Danielle Shanahan said takahē have a way of marching their way into the hearts of Zealandia's visitors and staff.
"Takahē are such an incredible example of why we should never give up when it comes to nature. A small population of the species was rediscovered in the Murchison Mountains in the 1940s, 50 years after being declared extinct."
Takahē are usually found in inaccessible habitats such as remote mountains, meaning their presence at Zealandia allows people to see the vulnerable species.
Autahi and Hopi were due to arrive at Zealandia last month, but their arrival was postponed due to the floods in the Wellington region.
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