We’re delighted to share that three of the precious 17 kākāpō we’ve been caring for at our Vet Hospital – adult female Ihi, female chick Suzanne 3A and male chick Rakiura 2A – were given the all-clear to return home to Whenua Hou on Sunday!

These three birds were sent up to us because they were all thought to be ‘at risk’ of the disease aspergillosis. Thankfully, after completing extensive investigations, including CT scans, they are confirmed as healthy birds, which makes us all very happy.

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Over the weekend our colleagues and friends at The Department of Conservation's Kakapo Recovery sent us another two adult birds, which means we are currently caring for, assessing, and as needed, treating a total of 16 kākāpō.

So much aroha, expertise and hard mahi from our Zoo whanau (vets, vet nurses, keepers, volunteers and also our maintenance team) is going into helping save these precious birds. A big shout out to our friends and colleagues at Massey’s Wild Base and Dunedin Wildlife Hospital who are also doing an amazing job treating and caring for kākāpō too!