AP Photo/New Zealand Conservation Department, HO
DCL
It's so unfortunate when a species that formerly had no predators is rushed to extinction because of humans. New Zealand's most prized parrot, the kakapo is a prime example. Today, 123 of New Zealand's critically endangered parrots, the kakapo, remain. Kakapo lovers were recently thrilled when 23 chicks increased the dwindling kakapo population from 100 birds. The kakapo, like one of history's most famous extinct species, the dodo bird, was obliterated because it was too trusting, and until humans came into the picture, it had no natural predators.
The Plight of the Dodo Bird
It was called the dodo bird because it couldn't fly and as a result, pioneers thought that even a dodo could catch and kill the bird. And as a result, this fascinating species is gone forever. Dodo birds were once inhabitants of Mauritius, a small island situated approximately 500 miles east of Madagascar. Many images and stories place the dodo bird along the coasts, but it was, in fact, a forest-dwelling bird. It was viciously over hunted, sometimes 50 at a time were killed, and those that weren't killed by humans were hunted by the pigs, cat, dogs, and rats that they brought along with them.
Will the Kakapo Be Next?
The dodo's plight reminds me of the terribly endangered kakapo, who could suffer the same fate. Weighing in at nearly 5 pounds, the kakapo is heaviest parrot in the world and, like the dodo bird, it can't fly at all. In the 1840's European settlers not only hunted the bird, they cleared and set fire to bush for farming, which had formerly been the bird's habitat. And like the dodo bird, they fell victim to the new predators that humans brought like cats, rats, and stoats.
Save the Kakapo
If you want to help nurture the tiny population of kakapos away from extinction, you can get involved with the Kakapo Recovery Programe
According to the organization, here's what your money buys:
$100 buys disease screening for one bird
$250 buys a radio tracking aerial
$1000 buys a portable incubator
$1600 buys a radio-telemetry receiver
One look at this totally precious and gentle bird and it's hard to say no.
