KEY POINTS:
His grandfather rediscovered the thought-to-be-extinct takahe more than half a century ago, and yesterday Auckland veterinarian Dr Richard Jerram got to hold one for the first time.
Dr Jerram, of Veterinary Services Group, said he felt "a little bit emotional" holding the 18-month-old takahe Poncho whom he was helping treat for leg injuries.
The bird got entangled in a fishing line and hook over a month ago on the island sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Gulf.
Poncho had hidden for a while but when discovered was taken to Auckland Zoo, which contacted Dr Jerram, a specialist in joint infections and wounds, unaware of his family history with takahe.
In 1948 Dr Jerram's grandfather, Dr Geoffrey Orbell, rediscovered the last takahe population in Fiordland, after years of searching.
"It is one of the reasons I became a vet. Now here I am holding one. It's come full circle and giving me a warm fuzzy feeling."
Dr Jerram said a message was being passed on to his "larger than life" grandfather, who turns 99 in November and lives in a Mosgiel resthome, that he was now helping one of the birds.
It has been a team effort to tackle the injuries to Poncho's feet.
Zoo vet Dr John Potter operated on his right foot, where the fishing tackle had cut off circulation, and two toes had to be amputated.
A week ago Dr Potter carried out surgery on Poncho's left ankle and consulted Dr Jerram as the wound was not healing.
Dr Jerram recommended hyperbaric oxygen treatment at the Remuera Vets which has the only pressurised chamber for animals in the southern hemisphere, mainly used for cats and dogs.
In a takahe first, Poncho has now had four doses of the oxygen treatment which was proving effective.
His treatment sessions last an hour and the bird is surprisingly calm in the sealed steel interior.
Dr Colin Hill, of Remuera Vets, said the treatment, which elevates blood oxygen levels up to 15 times, had lifted Poncho's spirits.
"The animals do get a buzz from it, they feel quite buoyed."
Once rehabilitated, Poncho will return to Tiritiri Matangi and in time likely be moved to another takahe site in the central North Island.
