Precious takahe’s limp mystery for Zealandia
THE lame leg of an endangered Zealandia takahe is proving a mystery for Wellington Zoo vets.
The takahe, named Puffin, was taken to zoo hospital The Nest after she was found with an ‘‘obviously lame’’ left leg last Friday.
But nothing so far could be pinpointed as the cause of the 20-year-old bird’s pain, said Lisa Argilla, the veterinary science manager of The Nest.
‘‘After taking a range of X-rays, we couldn’t see anything abnormal that might be causing the limp or any arthritis in Puffin’s joints.
‘‘We saw some ossification of her tendons, which is when cartilage tissue starts converting into bone, but this is normal in elderly animals. It may just be a sprain that will heal in due course.’’
Puffin and mate T2 were ‘‘retired’’ to Zealandia in 2011. They are members of one of the country’s rarest surviving native bird species, made even more precious after four takahe in the Hauraki Gulf were shot in a case of mistaken identity last month.
The Zealandia takahe would enjoy the care of zoo vets for the next few weeks, Argilla said. ‘‘We’re going to see how Puffin responds to painkillers over the next few days, and we’ll move her into an aviary where we can get a better look at how she is walking.
‘‘If we don’t see signs of improvement over the next week, then Puffin might have a CT scan.’’
Zealandia staff, including conservation manager Raewyn Empson, hoped Puffin would make a full recovery, though had to be realistic. ‘‘As an old pair, there was always an expectation that at some stage one or both of them would face some medical issues.’’