Two more kiwi found dead on Taranaki Maunga

Two kiwi have been found dead on Taranaki Maunga, just a month after two other kiwi deaths were discovered on Kaitake.

The bodies of Motuhake and Smutsy were discovered in the area of the North Egmont Visitor Centre.

The region’s kiwi conservation community has intensified its trapping efforts in the past few weeks, and monitored kiwi are being checked twice a week.

Increased action across Taranaki Maunga and Kaitake has seen more cages and traps installed in areas where kiwi have died and along boundaries, more fresh baiting and additional cameras, Taranaki Mounga Project co-director Sean Zieltjes said.

An autopsy showed the death of Smutsy was likely from a stoat, or possibly a feral cat, and that’s been backed up by the catching of a large stoat in the area.

Two of the three other deaths are suspected to be from predation.

He said every kiwi death was a blow to the many helpers and community supporters, and it diminished the good environmental gains happening otherwise.

“It’s devastating. But this is the hard reality of the work we are doing – not all kiwis that we release and monitor are going to survive, however we do everything we can to ensure they are best protected.

“Overall, the environment on Taranaki Maunga is improving, and we’re seeing many successes with improving biodiversity that hasn’t happened on a landscape restoration scale before like thriving understorey and vegetation, and improving populations of bird species,” he said.

A lot of energy and thinking was being put into tackling predator incursions near the boundaries and roads, working with the community and other agencies to make it long-lasting.

Landowners with traps were also being urged to regularly check their traps.

“We know our trapping programme works, and we have excellent systems in places, so it’s working how we can respond collectively to this latest challenge.”

Rangers and volunteers from Taranaki Kiwi Trust, DOC, Te Ara Taiao, Kaitake Ranges Conservation Trust, Taranaki Mounga Project and schools are involved in the kiwi response and restoration efforts.

Taranaki Kiwi Trust manager Celine Filbee said five birds died in 2022 around the same time of year, and the conservation groups were already working on how they would tackle the next breeding season.

“I don’t think you can expect to release birds and not have some die, but it is hard on the team that put so much effort into looking after them,” she said.