In 1995, the entire population of kakapo, a flightless, moss-green parrot native to New Zealand, numbered just 51 birds. The species was on the brink of extinction. In a final effort to save it,
In 1995, the entire population of kakapo, a flightless, moss-green parrot native to New Zealand, numbered just 51 birds. The species was on the brink of extinction. In a final effort to save it, conservation authorities gathered the remaining survivors and moved them to remote, predator-free islands. The relocation was a desperate measure, and its long-term success was uncertain.The kakapo is an u…
Eighteen birds left on Earth, and New Zealand thought they understood them—then something impossible followed. These rarest of flightless creatures had survived isolation for centuries, yet researchers tracking their final wild population noticed behavior no science could explain.
In 1974, ornithologist Don Merton received approval for one final expedition into the mountains of Fiordland, New Zealand. His official task was to confirm that the kakapo, a large flightless parrot, had gone extinct. In the previous 25 years, the Wildlife Service had run 61 expeditions into the region and found only six birds, five of which had died.Instead of evidence of extinction, Merton found…