Successful release of seabirds at Foxton

massey-university

Fri Jul 15 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Successful release of seabirds at Foxton

Friday, 15 July 2011, 3:59 pm
Press Release: Massey University

Friday, July 15, 2011
Successful release of seabirds at Foxton

Staff from the University's Wildlife Health Centre released about 200 broad-billed prions at Foxton Beach, Manawatu today.

The birds have been found struggling and sometimes dying throughout the lower North Island during this week's storms and have ben cared for at SPCAs, zoos and other animal welfare shelters. As at last night about 550 were at the centre, part of the College of Sciences on Massey's Manawatu campus.

Wildlife veterinarian Kerri Morgan says the plan was to release the birds at sea over the weekend but because of today's fine weather it was decided to take the opportunity to release those that had fully recovered into the waters of the Foxton Beach Estuary Bird Sanctuary at the mouth of the Manawatu River.

"The longer they are in captivity the less waterproof they become, so we have to balance between allowing them time to recover, keeping them in captivity for as little times as possible and giving them the best chance of surviving with the break in the bad weather," Ms Morgan says. "Hopefully the weather will be all right again tomorrow and we can do a boat release of the remaining birds well beyond the breakers with the Foxton Coastguard taking them out to sea."

The birds, which normally live out at sea or on southern offshore islands, have been battered by strong westerly winds and driven ashore, a phenomenon known by scientists as a "wreck".

ENDS

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