Kakapo Not Found

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30369, 19 February 1964, Page 22

Kakapo Not Found

(From. Our Own : Reporter) GREYMOUTH, Feb. 18.

No trace of the rare native ground bird, kakapo, was discovered by two officers of the Wildlife Branch of the Internal Affairs Department in Greymouth (Messrs T. Hartley-Smith and F. W. J. Maunden), who spent three days last week in rough bush country north-west of Greymouth, were following up a report from a doctor in the Kew Hospital at Invercargill that a patient who died at the institution had seen kakapo in the area six years, earlier.

While finding no trace of the native bird, the officers came across goats and red and fallow deer, although not in large numbers. They picked up a feather from a large spotted kiwi and heard kiwi calls during the night.

The Press Association reports that considerable interest was taken in the search. After Mr HartleySmith announced the proposed hunt, he received letters from many places, including several parts of the North Island. But most, he said, were from old-timers who had seen the kakapo about 50 to 60 years ago, when the birds were still known to be about in fairly reasonable numbers.