Then and Now

A ground-dwelling parrot that lived on the isolated landmass of New Zealand for thousands of years, the Kākāpō evolved into one of the world's most remarkable birds.

But with human colonisation, and the introduction of predators such as stoats, cats, rats and dogs, the species plummeted towards extinction. By 1995, there were only 50 known Kākāpō surviving, on a handful of small island sanctuaries.

Now, Kākāpō Recovery combines the efforts of scientists, rangers, volunteers and donors to protect the critically endangered kākāpō. There are 252 kākāpō alive today.