Rare birds prepare to fly the coop

Media Statement
10 March 2009

"I’m like a duck: calm above the water and paddling like hell underneath"
Fred Shero (1925 - 1990)

Twenty rare pateke/brown teal will fly human-style to Milford Sound this week as part of a sponsorship agreement between Real Journeys and the Department of Conservation.

The birds are currently being held at a pre-release holding facility at Isaac Wildlife Trust in Christchurch, awaiting their journey to the wild habitat of Fiordland National Park.

Weather permitting, they will travel to Queenstown on a commercial flight on Thursday 12 March, before flying to Milford Sound with Real Journeys. From there, they will take a short helicopter ride to their new home in the Arthur Valley - close to the Milford Track.

There are currently fewer than 1800 pateke living in a wild state in New Zealand, making them New Zealand’s rarest waterfowl species on the mainland. The 20 birds making the journey to Fiordland have been raised by the Department of Conservation’s Pateke Recovery Group.

DOC Biodiversity Ranger Andrew Smart of Te Anau said this will be the first major release of the endangered pateke in the South Island. Over the next five years more than 200 pateke could be released into Fiordland.

Real Journeys Milford Flightseeing chief pilot Dave Cross said he was more than happy to help out with the transfer. “It’s great to be able to give something back to Fiordland.”

The main challenge would be keeping Norman the Hangar Cat occupied elsewhere for the day, he said. The feisty feline has been resident at Real Journeys’ hangar for several years and keeps a close eye on passengers as they come and go.

“Norman has a reputation as being one of the toughest - and fattest - tomcats in Queenstown. We’ll be making sure he’s distracted elsewhere on Thursday.”

For further comment, please contact:
Dave Cross
Real Journeys Milford Flightseeing chief pilot
Cell 021 142 1221
Email dcross@realjourneys.co.nz
 

Real Journeys pilot preparing the twenty rare pateke/brown teal to fly human-style to Milford Sound