Kea kept like ‘pigs in farrowing crates’
A conservation expert has criticised the living conditions of two kea that died suddenly after being tested by government officials, likening their cage to ‘‘pig crates’’.
Casper and Stumpy were found dead on Saturday morning in a Canterbury aviary owned by Ron Stewart and his daughter-inlaw, Diana Stewart.
The alpine parrots, thought to be about 43 years old, had been owned by the Stewarts since 1977.
They died at the weekend, less than 24 hours after a Department of Conservation (DOC) ranger and vet took blood samples against the family’s wishes.
The pair were warned by DOC in 2012 that the aviary, at just 24 cubic metres, did not meet minimum standards for care of captive kea and would need to be more than five times bigger.
The family, from Darfield, disagreed, saying they believed a bigger enclosure would kill the birds.
Tamsin Orr-Walker, chairwoman and co-founder of the Kea Conservation Trust, said she was appalled by the conditions the two kea were kept in. ‘‘The bigger picture is those birds were not held in great conditions. It’s the equivalent to pigs in farrowing crates.’’
Based on a video of the birds’ enclosure, she said she felt the aviary would offer no enrichment in life and was horrified at how long the parrots had been allowed to stay there.
Diana Stewart said that making the two birds live in a bigger home would be like ‘‘putting two 90-year-olds in a theme park and telling them to ‘go for your life’.’’
Kea – large, green mountain parrots – are famed for their curiosity and intelligence and in October were voted New Zealand’s bird of the year.
About 60 live in captivity at 20 registered facilities, and since 2012 DOC has rehoused 15 birds to new homes such as Wellington Zoo.
The future of kea is perilous. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, they are now nationally endangered with only 3000 to 7000 birds left.