KAPITI SANCTUARY

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1928, Page 9

KAPITI SANCTUARY

WILD SHEEP MENACE OVER. "The year just closed must be considered one of the most important in the history of the Kapiti sanctuary, as it marked the almost complete' extermination of the wild sheep,” states the report of the curator, Mr. Wilkinson, presented to Parliament recently. “The number of sheep destroyed was 1437. No goats were seen during the year, so they too can be considered a thing of the past. With these animals out of the way the plant covering will soon re-establish itself. Great progress is already noticeable in parts where the goats were shot out. The large grass area at the northern part of the sanctuary is now almost covered 'with manuka and tauhinu. All through the manuka young plants of many species are growing well, so that in time there will be a good mixture of suitable trees and shrubs on this eifd to provide food for the birds.”

Mr. Wilkinson says the kiwis are well established on the island, as they have been heard calling at night in several places on the sanctuary. On several occasions lie and his wife camped out all night to listen for the call of the kiwi, and every time many of them eould be heard. A nest of the kiwi was found in the Kaiwharawhara Valley, commonly called "The Basin.” The nest was not finished when discovered, but a week later the opening, just a rabbit-burrow, had been deepened, and a nest made of leaves and grass placed at the end of the tunnel 2ft Sin from the entranee. When examined some time after the birds had apparently left the nest, probably owing to the fact that he had put his hand in the tunnel, although they had not resented this the first time, as the nest had been completed afterwards.