Cute Weasel-Like Creatures Were Brought To Help New Zealand’s Ecosystem — It Backfired Quickly
When a wildlife species gets the status of being invasive, it can destroy the natural balance of ecosystems in unimaginable ways. These invasive species often spread rapidly, and can lead to sharp population decline—or even extinctions in extreme cases—of the much valuable local wildlife. If there's no quick action taken, the issue can lead to a widespread environmental crisis, which can be impossible to reverse. To address one such concerning scenario, experts in New Zealand are considering removing one of the country’s most destructive invasive species. While these creatures were introduced with a well-intentioned plan to restore ecological balance, they have now begun targeting the native wildlife of the area.
The kiwi, a native bird of New Zealand, is so popular that even the people from the country are called "Kiwis." However, despite the fame, it has been revealed that there are many locals who have never seen the bird in the wild, as they are now very rare. As reported by NPR, over the past century, New Zealand has lost about 62 native bird species, and most of the birds remaining right now are facing the danger of going extinct. The major reason for this decline is the invasive species, such as the stoats. It is a small land mammal that is closely related to weasels and ferrets.
During the 1800s, people introduced stoats to New Zealand, thinking that they would be a natural solution to another invasive species—rabbits, which were spreading quickly, as reported by The Cool Down. But with the growing number of stoats, the struggle to protect its native wildlife has become very urgent for the country. Speaking of the problems caused by these invasive species, Claire Travers, a kiwi operations manager, said, "They are very smart. Very, very smart. A stoat can climb very well, get through very small holes, and take on a predator that's much, much bigger than it is."
With very little power, the Kiwi chicks are said to be the most vulnerable. To protect them, the officials have set a serious target to wipe out all invasive predators across the country by the year 2050. The manager of the Predator Free 2050 program, Brent Beaven, spoke about this and said, "If we don't take action, we are killing native wildlife by omission." He added, "Choosing not to take action is an action. So, either way, something's going to die based on the decisions we make." In a few places, New Zealand is already seeing the results. Certain offshore regions have been cleared of predators through careful team efforts.
Volunteers are also joining the fight by setting up traps in neighborhoods and public spaces, slowly giving native wildlife a chance to recover. Gaye Payze, a predator control coordinator, also revealed about the progress of the initiative and said, "It's a huge victory really because they [stoats] are such hard animals to capture. It's easy when you start, but when you get to this stage in the project, we've been going for over 20 years, you're really down to the hardcore." While some animal lovers may find this way of protecting the native species hard to accept, for New Zealanders, protecting the kiwi is the only main goal.
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