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October 4 was World Animal Day, long-time partners Auckland Zoo and the
Department of Conservation (DOC) have signed a new strategic partnership
to deliver even greater outcomes for conservation across Aotearoa.
This evolved strategic partnership framework builds on and celebrates the
respective strengths of the two organisations at the forefront of efforts to save
native species and advocate for conservation and will identify new areas for
collaboration.
For more than three decades, Auckland Zoo and DOC have collaborated on
recovery programmes and fieldwork for some of our country’s most
threatened bird, lizard, amphibian, and invertebrate species – from kākāpō,
takahē, and tara iti, to pepeketua/Archey’s frog, kapitia and cobble skinks, and
our largest giant wētā, the wētāpunga.
Wētāpunga were once holding on by a thread on a lone Hauraki Gulf island.
But with DOC and iwi support, a phenomenally successful breeding
programme led by the Zoo has seen the release of more than 7,000 of these
unique taonga onto eight pest-free islands across the upper North Island –
including islands managed by DOC and mana whenua. Now self-sustaining
on four Hauraki Gulf islands, these efforts have led to a positive revision of the
species’ threat status.
Auckland Zoo director Kevin Buley says so many of our native species remain
dependent on human care to prevent their extinction.
“Ongoing interventions such as pest control, fenced reserves, breeding
programmes, animal translocations and veterinary support are the reason for
their survival.
“These kinds of intensive management skills are skills that Auckland Zoo, as a
modern zoo and wildlife conservation science organisation, has been
perfecting for decades. So, we’re hugely proud to be able to deploy them to
compliment DOC’s knowledge and experience in recovery programmes for
some of our most threatened invertebrate, reptile and bird species.
“With DOC we also share wider ambitious longer-term aspirations and goals
for wildlife and people. Our focus together is on creating a more sustainable
future – where we all feel more part of nature than apart from nature, and
where species are no longer reliant on intensive care to prevent their
extinction,” says Kevin.
“In order for us all to achieve this together, we need to reexamine our
relationship with te taiao – the natural environment and all the species that we share it with. An experience at the Zoo helps provide an opportunity for people
to connect with nature, to take time to connect with each other, and is a small
but significant first step that we can all take to help tune back in to the world
around us.”
DOC director-general Penny Nelson sees this milestone strategic partnership
as a huge opportunity for conservation.
“Today’s a chance to streamline how we work together and take advantage of
our respective strengths, as we look at exciting new conservation projects to
take on.”
“When we combine the Zoo’s expertise in breeding, rearing and specialist
animal care with DOC’s knowledge and active management of wild
conservation sites, we can recover species from the brink of extinction.
“We are currently working together to do that for the tara iti/New Zealand fairy
tern: the most endangered bird in Aotearoa with fewer than 35 adult birds
surviving today. Intensive management is needed for these birds to have a
chance of long-term survival.
“For four years, Auckland Zoo has worked alongside DOC to collect, hatch
and hand-rear chicks to boost the wild population. Fifteen tara iti have been
safely raised and released to the wild by the Zoo so far, and last summer four
incubated and Zoo-raised juveniles contributed to a record-breaking summer
breeding season.
“What’s more, a large part of conservation work is advocacy – connecting
people and nature. Auckland Zoo, based in the heart of our most populated
city, plays a fundamental role in connecting hundreds of thousands of people
annually to the unique wildlife and habitats of Aotearoa. That connection can
open the door for kiwis and overseas visitors alike to valuing nature and taking
action to support our taonga species.” says Penny
