Aviaries built to save black stilt

Press, 4 May 1988, Page 1

Aviaries built to save black stilt

By

GLEN PERKINSON

in Queenstown

New Zealand’s most endangered wading bird, the black stilt, may soon be off the critical list if the latest measure to save it succeeds. The Conservation Department has created two giant aviaries 3km south of Twizel. The. aviaries on 15ha of Crown land, may be the black stilt’s only chance of survival. According to Ms Christine Reed, an aviculture officer in the Conservation Department, there are just 10 to 12 breeding pairs of the black stilt left in the wild. They have been found only in the Mackenzie Country, although sightings have been reported near Lake Ellesmere. The new aviaries will see three breeding pairs maintained in captivity. If they breed successfully, their offspring will augment the dwindling numbers in the wild. The aviaries will have a commercial spin-off for the department. A $112,000 grant from the Government will mean the Twizel aviary will be able to build more aviaries and a hide. This will be opened to the public. Visitors will be able to gather in the hide and observe the birds in a natural setting. The Twizel aviaries are guarded like fortresses. They are surrounded by electrified fences which go below ground level, so that predators cannot burrow underneath.