For all those who appreciate the unique New Zealand bird life, the work of Don and his conservation team is invaluable and his passing is a great loss to NZ conservation.
Don is one of the few people in the world who could claim to have saved at least 2 species of birds from total extinction. In the early 80s, he and his team saved the Chatham Island Black Robin from extinction with an innovative breeding programme; from one surviving breeding pair, the Black Robins are now thriving again. Later, Don managed the recovery of the Kakapo and South Island saddleback population which are now also gaining in numbers. View more here.
It is thanks to the dedicated work of people like Don Merton that we can now anchor in bays all over the Bay of Islands and listen to the unique tunes of the Kiwi and Weka after sunset and at dawn, and that future generations will be able to enjoy the irreplaceable New Zealand wildlife. Don’s legacy lives on.
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| Kiwi | Weka |
Our protected flightless birds – the Kiwi and the Weka. Even if you don’t see them, you’ll hear them after dark in many bays in the Bay of Islands.
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