Frequent storms have threatened the integrity of the fence and introduced mammals put constant pressure on our precious sanctuary and, within its bubble, myriad sensitive wildlife. Then enter a pandemic and over the past month I have been the main essential worker to be allowed on site to look after the sanctuary. In the history of Orokonui nothing compares to the current challenge as Covid-19 threatens the financial foundations of our sanctuary. We learnt the hard way what can happen with incursions when in 2015 stoats invaded the sanctuary and effectively eradicated our saddleback population. With so many threatened and vulnerable species inside the sanctuary the repercussions of failure are huge and we must remain vigilant.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 26, 2020 15:33 UTC