Endangered kākāpō dies unexpectedly on Anchor Island, Fiordland

A female kākāpō has died unexpectedly on an island in Dusky Sound, Fiordland, a New Zealand conservation group has announced.

By Lucy Bendell

New Zealand Conservation Stories announced the death of Ra in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

"Her cause of death is unknown, but believed to have been very sudden. She had a full crop upon death, suggesting she’d been feeding normally right up until death," the group said about the death which occurred on Anchor Island.

"It’s hoped this is a sign that she does not have aspergillosis the disease that killed Jemma last week."

Kākāpō are an endangered bird species native to New Zealand.

“When one [kākāpō] passes, it is always a big loss to the population as well as for those who have worked closely with the individual," DOC kākāpō veterinary adviser Lydia Uddstrom said.

There are currently fewer than 200 kākāpō in New Zealand.

It comes after another female kākāpō, Jemma, died last week from aspergillosis, a disease which killed nine kākāpō in 2019.

The fungal infection, which typically affects the lower respiratory tract, is caused by inhaling spores of the Aspergillus fungus.

Uddstrom said the “hot dry summers" of 2019 and now 2022 has led to "a large number of the spores being present in the nests”.

She added that aspergillosis is "very difficult to detect and to diagnose”.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) said the fungus is "having a devastating impact on kākāpō", reiterating that the detection and treatment of birds with the "potentially fatal disease" is "extremely difficult".

Two kākāpō were hospitalised with the disease for nearly a year in 2020 – the longest ever hospital stay for kākāpō.

The outbreak has so far resulted in 21 cases, 12 of whom have since recovered following treatment.

DOC routinely fly kākāpō from Anchor Island to the mainland for CT scans to ensure they don't have the disease and to stop its potential spread.

"There's a lot of work involved in caring for the affected kākāpō and managing the kākāpō population to minimise the outbreak," DOC said.