Last term, we went to Sanctuary Mountain (Maungatautari). We learned lots about the endemic species (Species that only live in New Zealand). I really liked seeing the native animals, they were really cute. Here are some interesting things that we learned:
90% of the bush in New Zealand is endemic (only found in NZ).
Habitat loss
We have lost 77% of the forest we used to have in NZ (see picture).
We have lost 90% of the wetlands we used to have.
A lot of the loss was due to deliberate burning with fire. The other main cause was introduced animals such as pigs, goats, cows, and possums.
Pests (Animals that are in the wrong place)
Main pests include rabbits, possums, stoats, rats, cats, and weasels.
For every 20 kiwi babies born 17 are killed by stoats.
Rabbits were bought in to the country for hunting but their numbers got out of control. They considered bringing in foxes to get rid of them but decided on stoats.
The kiwi population is still in decline. The population is being reduced by 2% a year. That works out to be about 40 kiwi dying each week.
Sanctuary Mountain has a massive pest - proof fence that circles around the whole mountain.
Great post! I really enjoyed joining Kokako on this trip, it was a fantastic learning experience, and privilege to see these amazing creatures up close.
Last term, we went to Sanctuary Mountain (Maungatautari). We learned lots about the endemic species (Species that only live in New Zealand). I really liked seeing the native animals, they were really cute.
Here are some interesting things that we learned:
I really enjoyed our time at sanctuary mountain.
Great post! I really enjoyed joining Kokako on this trip, it was a fantastic learning experience, and privilege to see these amazing creatures up close.
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