Tui wildlife update

In early January we had a nestling Tui arrive at the center. This bird was very lethargic and starving. With loads of TLC this young bird improved dramatically but in the process decided that the humans were pretty good. This imprinting of birds (and other wildlife) to people, we try to avoid at all costs but sometimes it can't be avoided. To help reverse this process, we were lucky enough to pair this bird up with another Tui that came into care after being attacked by a cat. This Tui lost many feathers and it's tail!!

The pairing up of these two started with a barrier between them in the same cage. This also allowed us to treat the injured Tui with pain relief and antibiotics. Once they got used to each other and the medical treatment was finished, the barrier was removed and the young bird preferred the older Tui over the humans. Success in reversing imprinting!!

Both of these birds were taken back to the release sight where a lovely member of our community had the honour of releasing these two beauties back into the wild. Their release can be seen in one of the videos.