The
Takahe is extinct? No it's not! Well it was until Dr. Geoff Orbell re
discovered them. This flightless bird ( although unlike the kiwi it does
have wings ) has a bright red beak, brilliant multi coloured plumage and
hangs out in tussock and small pockets of beech forest. Recently on his
90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his find Dr Orbell revisited
the remote Takahe Valley in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland where he
and his companions captured and photographed the Takahe in 1948.
Teetering on the verge of extinction an intensive campaign by the Department
of Conservation has ensured that for now these rare birds will live on
with a population of about 175. During his visit Dr Orbell assisted with
the release of four yearling birds in to the wild, one of which departed
with a sharp peck to his thumb.
