Smart ideas that are saving a species
Creativity is helping save one of New Zealand’s most endangered birds. Through dedicated conservation efforts, New Zealanders are working to bring the kākāpō, our endemic, charismatic, and nocturnal flightless parrot, back from the brink of extinction.
Smart Eggs
Sometimes it’s safer if kākāpō eggs are incubated and hatched away from the nest. In these cases, the real egg is switched for either a dummy egg or a 3D-printed smart egg which mimics the sounds that would come from a real egg as it nears hatching. The smart egg triggers the kākāpō mums to get ready for their new arrival, which gives the chicks a better chance of survival when they’re safely hatched and brought back to the nest.
Smart Transmitters
Keeping an eye on a shy nocturnal bird was proving tricky, so the Kākāpō Recovery Programme solved the problem with experimental activity-tracking smart transmitters. They’re worn by every bird and connect with data networks to remotely monitor their activity. The system provides daily online reports and can even show which kākāpō have mated, who with, and how long for! There’s no such thing as privacy if you’re endangered!
Smarty-Pants Spokes-Bird
Skraaaark! Forget TikTok stars, New Zealand kākāpō are represented by their very own spokes-bird Sirocco. The Department of Conservation cleverly use social media as a tool to raise awareness of kākāpō. Sirocco @Spokesbird has become one of bird-kind’s biggest influencers, with thousands of followers around the world. This exposure drives online adoption programmes, which raise money to help save the kākāpō.
Smart Feeders
Each kākāpō has its own special feeder, which is programmed to open only for that bird. Making sure that each kākāpō gets its own rations. This allows the Department of Conservation to manage the bird’s weight, so that they are in peak physical condition for breeding. Did you know that if females are too light, they do not produce any chicks and if they are too heavy, they produce too many males! A weighty responsibility to get right when the kākāpō’s total population count is less than 250.
Looking for somewhere that uses smarts to help save their world? We know a place.
Find out more about the Kākāpō Recovery Programme.
Image Source: Dr Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Department of Conservation.
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