A brood of rare whio ducklings that began hatching at Queenstown’s Kiwi Birdlife Park yesterday will soon be sent to "wild duck school". Kiwi Birdlife Park general manager Paul Kavanagh holds a recently hatched whio duckling. The park’s wildlife staff removed the eggs from the breeding pair and incubated them artificially to increase their chances of hatching. Known as the whitewater specialists of the duck world, whio (blue duck) are endemic to New Zealand, and classified by the Department of Conservation (Doc) as nationally vulnerable. Last month, the park learned it would receive a $495,000 grant from a Doc relief fund for wildlife institutions affected by Covid-19.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 10, 2020 15:35 UTC