Old boy Sass farewelled.

Sadly we euthanized one of our Stewart Island founder kakapo, Sass, yesterday. Sass had been of relatively poor condition for the last few years and has gone down hill steadily over the last 3 months.

He was extremely light weight, had developed cataracts in both eyes recently, and in the last few days appeared to have been suffering from kidney failure.

As an adult of unknown age, Sass was found in April 1980 and transferred to Codfish Island in July 1987 (along with Nora, he was first to be transferred to Codfish).

He had fathered 6 chicks – ‘Robbie’, ‘Palmersan’, ‘Te Kingi’, ‘Blake’, ‘Kumi’ and ‘Kuihi’. He also had 3 grand-chicks through Kuihi – ‘Awarua’, ‘Waihopai’ and ‘Hokonui’, so his genetics are relatively well represented in the population.

Birds of an unknown age account for 34% of the kakapo population. Seeing some age related mortality is not unexpected, but reminds us of how rare and precious the kakapo are.

Sass’s passing takes the world kakapo population to 123. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy lives on.

source: kakaporecovery.org.nz

update: back in 2005, my friend matthias rohaut was lucky enough to meet sass at his feeding station, and he was also able to take pictures. (matthias got to see more kakapo than any of us). he also gave me permission to post them here, so i’ve uploaded two photos.

related posts:

1. kakapo chick in surgery, other chicks moved after food shortage
2. two kakapo chicks born from artificial insemination
3. kakapo in international spotlight once more

there has been a major breakthrough in the kakapo recovery programme this year: semen specimen were collected earlier last year, and a total of six female kakapo were artificially inseminated, resulting in 2 confirmed successes: two of the fertilized eggs were a direct result of artificial insemination.
AI is especially important because there are a few males who dominate the gene pool of the 124-strong population.

Breakthrough in fight to save kakapo
A major breakthrough in the fight to preserve the critically endangered kakapo has been made, with paternity tests revealing artificial insemination has produced two chicks, the Department of Conservation says.
International bird reproduction specialist Dr Juan Blanco, who helped the Doc kakapo recovery team, believed it was a world first for a wild bird population.

Recovery team manager Deidre Vercoe said the tests confirmed artificial insemination (AI) produced two chicks from two females this breeding season.
“This is a major breakthrough for the recovery programme.”
Infertility as a result of the small size of the kakapo population and inbreeding had been a major problem for the birds on Codfish Island.

In 2005, more than 50% of eggs were infertile.
“Successful AI means we have a tool to improve fertility rates and minimise the loss of genetic diversity within the small but growing kakapo population.”
Six females were inseminated, each with a “cocktail” of sperm from the three male birds who were the least related to them.
In the successful cases, fresh sperm, refrigerated for two to five hours, was used.

“There are several males who dominate the gene pool. Now we can collect sperm from other males and improve their odds of producing offspring,” Ms Vercoe said.
The six birds produced nine chicks, with six produced by natural mating that took place before the insemination, she said.
Two chicks were the result of AI and the paternity of another chick was pending.
As a result of this season’s success, the programme would put an emphasis on using AI with genetic material from Fiordland kakapo, she said.

Attempts to use Fiordland kakapo Richard Henry’s sperm were unsuccessful because of a low sperm count, so they would now try and use sperm from his male offspring, she said.
The team would also continue to work towards using cryopreservation as a management tool as it would enable the genetic material from males to be saved and used after they died.
“The ability to store sperm longer term gives great hope for the ongoing genetic health of the species.”

source: odt.co.nz

this summer, unfortunately, a lack of rimu fruit prevented the kakapo from breeding again.

Fruitless summer for kakapo breeding after boom
The Department of Conservation says the campaign to restore kakapo numbers has been held up by a shortage of rimu fruit.
Since 1995, under the Kakapo Recovery Programme, the population of the critically endangered nocturnal ground parrot – found only in New Zealand – has increased from 51 to 124.
Programme manager Deidre Vercoe says that the lack of rimu fruit on Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, and Anchor Island, in Fiordland, signals a non-breeding summer for the world’s rarest parrot.
But in a way that’s a relief, she says, because 2009 was the biggest breeding season ever, with 33 kakapo being born: “We’re all quite exhausted from that,” she says. “We had to hand-rear 26 of them.”

Ms Vercoe hopes kakapo will breed again in 2011.
Copyright © 2010 Radio New Zealand

source: radionz.co.nz

related posts:

1. kakapo chick in surgery, other chicks moved after food shortage
2. update: kakapo sass euthanised
3. horny kakapo on tv

Sirocco the kakapo an online phenomenon!
The online world is pretty new to DOC staff, but this week we saw how quickly things can blow up – in a remarkable and positive way!

It started a few days ago, when BBC aired the episode of their new series “Last Chance to See” which featured our favourite kakapo, Sirocco. In fact, what REALLY caught people’s interest, was when Sirocco got a bit ‘up close and personal’ with presenter Mark Cawardine. 650 000 Youtube hits later – and New Zealand’s very own kakapo had been catapulted into the international spotlight.

Within a matter of hours after Sirocco’s starring perfomance on “Last Chance to See”, his Facebook page jumped by another 750 friends, and now boasts 2500 online ‘friends’ who are besotted with kakapo and what we do to look after them here in New Zealand.

full article: blog.doc.govt.nz

 
by the way, sirocco now has his own facebook and twitter account.

related posts:

1. horny kakapo on tv
2. two kakapo chicks born from artificial insemination
3. update: kakapo sass euthanised

Stephen Fry sees photographer get humped by a rare parrot – watch hilarious video

This clip is more suited to the top shelf of a seedy sex shop than part of a nature documentary presented by Stephen Fry.

While filming a kakapo parrot for new BBC programme Last Chance to See, the actor is taken aback when the bird leaps onto a crewmember’s head and starts humping him.

Exploding with laughter, Q1 host Stephen says: “This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen, you are being shagged by a rare parrot.”

The excited kakapo, christened Sirocco, flaps its wings and attempts to mate with the photographer for a full minute before its claws start to draw blood.

Stephen was in New Zealand to record scenes for the wildlife series, based on the search of animals on the brink of extinction.

The kakapo species, known for being fat and flightless, is extremely rare.

Perhaps poor Sirocco should try taking out his frustration on another parrot…

source: mirror.co.uk

related posts:

1. kakapo in international spotlight once more
2. two kakapo chicks born from artificial insemination
3. update: kakapo sass euthanised

whenever somebody is stung by a bee or wasp, i remember there’s a rule of thumb about a good way of instantly diminishing the effects of the poison. however, i never recollect the vital part…

from a chemical standpoint, most types of insect poison are acids, which means you can (at least partly) neutralize them with bases.
one of the exceptions to this is the family of wasps: their poison’s are bases, which can thus be countervailed with an acid.

 
so, the next time you witness an insect bite (and i’m crossing my fingers it won’t be you who’s getting stung), you might want to try one of these household remedies:

• bee bite (also works with ants, mosquitoes etc.): acids – diluted vinegar, diluted lemon juice, even orange juice or carbonated soft drinks.
• wasp bite: bases – diluted soda, baking powder, …

on a side note: the poison in most jellyfish nematocysts is also acidic. if you were stung but didn’t bring ammonia to the beach, your last resort would be urine (a relatively neutral buffer solution). the book i got all this information from says “if you think that’s too gross, you’ve never felt the pain of a real jellyfish sting.”
 

source (in german): Wawra E., Dolznig H, Müllner E. (2003): Chemie verstehen. Facultas Verlags- und Buchhandels AG, p. 164

related posts:

1. male zebra spider
2. book scorpion

in this picture by h. & h.j. koch, you can see a female and her eggs.

more information on the family of glass frogs (wikipedia): de, en

related posts:

1. frog spawn video in the natural history museum of neuchatel, switzerland

in german:
schönheit liegt bekanntermaßen im auge des betrachters, aber ich denke, dass so mancher betrachter diese tierchen für das hält, was wissenschafter als “ziemlich hässlich” bezeichnen würden. ;)
es folgt eine liste der hässlichsten/eigenartigsten kreaturen, die mir bisher untergekommen sind.

petromyzon marinus
en: sea lamprey | de: meerneunauge
more photos: lateral view, google

condylura cristata
en: star-nosed mole | de: sternmull
more photos: google

uroplatus fimbriatus
en: giant leaf-tailed gecko | de: ein flachschwanz-gecko
more photos: google

heterocephalus glaber
en: naked mole rat | de: nacktmull
more photos: google

daubentonia madagascariensis
en: aye-aye | de: fingertier
more photos: google

ogcocephalus parvus
en: roughback batfish | de: seefledermaus
more photos: google

trionyx triunguis
(chosen because it looks like it was soaked in fabric softener)
en: nile soft-shelled turtle | de: afrikanische weichschildkröte
more photos: google

phronima sedentaria
en: pram bug amphipod | de: ein tiefsee-flohkrebs
more photos: google

update: how could i miss this one?

14-year-old chinese crested dog
(it was alive when this photo was taken!)
more information

2nd update: another one for the list.

zaglossus bartoni
en: long-beaked echidna | de: langschnabeligel
more photos: google