A man and his dog, saving kiwi
A kiwi dog handler says his job is a privilege. Reporter Bayley Moor finds out more.
It’s a contradiction of sorts - a dog used to track and save kiwis - with dogs also the single biggest killer of adult kiwi.
But trained kiwi dog Flow, 6, and her handler and Department of Conservation Biodiversity Ranger Steve McManus have the important job of protecting our national bird. They do this work in the Bay of Islands area and particularly the Waitangi Endowment Forest.
Their day typically starts at 6am, where they make their way through 500 metres of scrub checking marked mountain bike tracks for kiwi with a scrub clearing crew following immediately behind. Flow wears a muzzle and special boots to protect her feet.
‘‘I feel quite privileged, I get to work with my dog and handle and help protect the birds.’’
To become a ‘species dog’ Flow was put through a certification and training programme that generally takes around two to three years.
Flow, a heading dog, is the second dog McManus has trained to seek kiwi and also makes for a handy stock dog at his home. She is the only kiwi dog in the Bay of Islands and one of five in Northland.
He has been working with kiwi dogs for over 16 years.
The 570-hectare endowment forest is logged in blocks, with each block inspected by McManus and Flow, who wears a muzzle and special boots to protect her feet, prior to harvesting.
‘‘We go in before compartment logging and locate as many male kiwi as possible and fit them with transmitters. The male kiwi incubate the egg(s) so we are able to find the nests and GPS its location.’’
The logging crews will call McManus when they are getting close to a nest.
‘‘Normal practice is to wait until night when the male kiwi gets off the nest and we are then able to uplift the egg(s) and or chick. Without a nest the male kiwi will move around and usually away from the logging.’’
The young kiwi and the egg are relocated to the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre where they are looked after until they are a safe weight before being released back to Waitangi.
While most of his work is around kiwi dog handling he also manages issues within the forest on behalf of DOC.
One of the biggest issues is health and safety within the area, McManus says, as a number of groups use the forest, including Te Araroa Trail, the Waitangi Mountain Bike Park and the various logging companies.
McManus has also been conducting kiwi call monitoring from a spot looking down over the forest for 12 years.
‘‘When I first started there were less than six calls an hour, now it is not unusual to hear up to 18 an hour.’’
McManus also manages the trapping within the forest which he says is the single biggest reason why kiwi numbers increase.
‘‘Our management seems to be working, the kiwi call counts suggests that the population is in good health and we are not going to change what we are doing. It’s a model that other forestry operators can use if they have kiwi in their plantation forests.’’
He says the dog gets to know the bird is special.
‘‘You have to have a special relationship with the dog to do the job and do it safely.’’
There are currently 45 dogs trained to find protected species and 35 to find pests in New Zealand.