New home for black robins on agenda

Press, 6 April 1989, Page 7

New home for black robins on agenda

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The next stage in the rehabilitation and recovery of the Chatham Island black robin will be discussed when the Minister of Conservation, Mr Woollaston, visits the Chathams today. Pitt Island, the large farmed island off the south-east of the main island, is regarded as having the best potential for providing a safe habitat for the robins.

Since the species fell to five, including only one breeding pair, in 1979, a lot of time and effort has seen numbers back up to 70. After being taken from Little Mangere Island the birds have flourished on two other islets off Pitt Island — South East and Mangere Islands.

Now the department feels the black robin’s

best chance for further progress lies in shifting a self-sustaining population on to Pitt Island. Reserved areas of forest on Pitt, if augmented and supported by a programme to eliminate cats and wekas (both intro-

duced), would be suitable for the black robins.

If feral sheep, cattle and pigs were also removed from the reserved areas then the natural habitat and other threatened species could recover.

The Conservation Department wants to remove all predators from Pitt Island and all animals from the reserves.

Mr Woollaston will fly to Pitt Island to discuss various options with the residents. He will discuss also the tourist potential of the black robins. The Chatham Islanders see a tourist potential from aspects of endangered species work, such as with the black robins, but the department is alarmed at the prospects of liberating species on Mangere and South East Islands if the present stringent access code is relaxed.