Robin Kearns: The tragedy of the takahe

A pukeko (left) and a protected takahe. Photo / Jim Eagles

Despite the host of human tragedies that confront us daily, there is something especially sad about news of Takahe being shot on Motutapu Island.

With only about 300 members of this species left on our land, we cannot afford to lose any of these flightless birds. That four were shot on an island regenerated and repopulated with birds largely by volunteer labour adds to the sadness.

If find myself asking why people who identify as hunters of deer were recruited to cull pukeko which often occupy the same habitat as Takahe, a precious avian taonga?

Perhaps this unusual move relates to the deep budget cuts sustained by the Department of Conservation (DoC)? Developing partnerships with community groups is great, but inviting deerstalkers to take aim near endangered birds is surely a desperate measure?

A deeper question is how could anyone mistake not one but four Takahe for Pukeko? If the answer is not carelessness, then it must be an ignorance that groups like the Motutapu Restoration Trust have been seeking to repair.

Sadly, this incident speaks to the way our biodiversity is increasingly treated with flippant disregard. Last month it was revealed Treasury advised against funding a kiwi rescue programme. This week, ecologists warn that Landcorp's plans to convert forests into dairying land will further degrade the Waikato River.

It is time we worked more vigorously to protect our natural heritage for, as Joni Mitchell sang, 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone'.

As a child I knew the distinctive look of a Takahe long before I saw one. What were the sources of this knowledge?

First, a retired enthusiast named Jim Dagger gifted his knowledge of the natural world to the children of my home town. Monthly, the school hall was brimming with kids - identifying specimens, answering quizzes and planning field trips.

Second, Gregg's jelly packets contained cards depicting native birds. The contents may have hastened trips to the dental nurse but swapping cards to complete an album made us amateur ornithologists.

By the time I was ten, a Takahe felt like a friend I'd never met. And what a thrill to eventually meet my first - Mr Blue - on Tiritiri Matangi!

Perhaps four dead Takahe can jolt us into better celebrating our biodiversity. Undaunted by the slippery slope towards tainted rivers and the nonchalance of those hell-bent on attributing dollar values to everything, let us find creative ways to honour the birds that predated our human arrivals here.

To the 21st Century Jim Daggers: please find ways to share your gusto for the natural world. And to food producers: take a break from celebrating Disney characters by once again putting trading cards of native birds in your packs.

We may not be able to restore DoC's healthy budget but let us give voice to how we value birds and the land that is both theirs and ours.

Robin Kearns is Professor of Geography at the University of Auckland.