Returning celeb attracts the crowds
Move over Pink – another celebrity is performing before full houses in Dunedin: Sirocco the ka¯ka¯po¯ is back.
The cheeky parrot and official ‘‘spokesbird’’ of the Department of Conservation (DOC) is on display at Dunedin’s Orokonui Ecosanctuary during September.
Two days ago, he was on a remote island in Fiordland but he appears to be at ease with being in the limelight once more.
A respiratory illness meant Sirocco had to be hand-reared by DOC rangers as a chick, and so he was comfortable around humans, DOC threatened species ambassador Nicola Toki said.
And she should know. Sirocco once tried to mate with her gumboots – and her head. ‘‘I considered it a privilege,’’ she said.
The ka¯ ka¯ po¯ is now returning from his self-imposed exile for his first public performance in four years. He hid on his island for two years, reappearing just in time for his 21st birthday earlier this year. The cheeky parrot became a worldwide phenomenon after he attempted to mate with zoologist Mark Carwardine’s head on the BBC programme Last Chance to See, starring Stephen Fry.
Almost 8 million people have watched the Youtube clip, which features Fry telling Carwardine: ‘‘You are being shagged by a rare parrot.’’
Nothing quite so X-rated happened when Sirocco welcomed a tour group on Sunday night, preferring to be hand-fed pinenuts by handler Daryl Eason and to let out the occasional squawk.
‘‘Sirocco is not a captive bird.
‘‘He lives in the wild most of the time. He just happens to love people and that works for us because people love to see him,’’ Toki said.
Tickets to Orokonui Ecosanctuary’s night-time tours have been selling fast, with people eager to see one the estimated 149 ka¯ ka¯ po¯ left in existence.
Toki anticipated the population would soon be growing, as the upcoming breeding season is predicted to be a bumper one.
The problem was finding predator-free places for them.