Pateke back in Fiordland after 15 Years
Pateke (Brown teal), one of the world’s rarest ducks, has just been reintroduced back into the Arthur River, having last been recorded in Fiordland 15 years ago. A survey by DoC several years ago showed that there were no naturally occurring populations remaining. The pateke captive breeding program is a joint DoC/Ducks Unlimited project and for the last few years the focus has been to release the ducks back into areas where animal pest control is going on for other species. Prior to this, the releases into the wild have all been in the North Island, so it is exciting to have them now back into the wild on the mainland! Thanks to Banrock Station Wines, who have been sponsoring the pateke releases for a number of years, twenty pateke were let go in a quiet back water of the Arthur River
Posted on: Monday, 23 March 2009
