Zoo’s kea in nesting mode
Visitors to Wellington Zoo will soon be getting up close and personal with the world’s only alpine parrot as a new kea aviary opens its airlock-style doors to the public.
The zoo’s walk-through kea experience will open on Saturday, with special kea-themed talks and activities planned.
Its new aviary cost $750,000. The enclosure had to include airlock doors as this was the only way to keep the mischievous parrots contained while zoo visitors were inside.
Animal care team leader Robert Stoop said the precautions did not stop there. The aviary’s netting had also been constructed from hightensile metal, and every joint of the structure was 100 per cent kea-proof.
He predicted the kea would become a crowd favourite, with each bird having a distinct personality.
Despite the birds’ sharp beaks and claws, Stoop did not foresee any problems, other than the odd visitor having to defend their lunch occasionally.
‘‘We have a specially formulated diet for them; we mix it up between giving them nectar, fruit and vegetables.’’
If the crowds get to be too much for the kea, there is a second aviary they can escape to via a small hatch.
Kea are a nationally endangered species, with fewer than 5000 remaining in the wild.