Kaimanawa Whio Project

Taupo, 23 August 2018: Members of the Kaimanawa Hunter Liason Group have laid down their guns, picked up automatic Goodnature A24 stoat traps, and hiked into the Kaimanawa Forest Park to establish a pest control network. Their goal is to protect the endangered whio (blue duck).

A survey by the hunter-led group has revealed a vulnerable whio population of just one breeding pair in each of the Kaimanawa Forest Park’s Kaipo and Oamaru streams. These two pairs are just a few of the estimated 3000 whio left in existence. The whio is endemic to New Zealand, and its population had been steadily dwindling since the introduction of invasive pest species like stoats, possums, and rats.