references
Wildbase – Supporting kea health
Dr Brett Gartrell
The Wildbase Group at Massey University is strongly supportive of the work of the Department of Conservation and the Kea Conservation Trust in conserving the national treasure that is the kea. Wildbase is involved with kea conservation in three major areas: medical and surgical care of injured and ill kea; post mortem investigation of kea deaths; and research into health issues affecting kea populations. We aim to share our knowledge with our veterinary colleagues and the conservation and scientific community that work with kea. The medical and surgical care of kea is carried out through our Wildbase Hospital and over the last ten years we have treated both wild and captive kea. Wild kea tend to commonly present with either trauma or lead poisoning. Captive kea have been admitted with a wide range of conditions including nutritional disease, behavioural issues, infectious disease, and toxicities from destroying and consuming parts of their enclosures. Kea in hospital are challenging patients as these remarkably intelligent birds are constantly looking for avenues of escape and equipment to destroy. Our technical staff work hard to make the hospital environment as stress-free and enriched as possible for the kea. Our vets also provide advice and referral services for vets in practice that are dealing with kea. Through our Wildbase Pathology group we have been carrying out post mortem investigations on dead kea for the past twenty years. This includes both wild and captive kea, and we have archived records for 113 post mortem investigations. Unfortunately we
have seen a wide range of causes of death for wild kea, and this includes deliberate and accidental killing of these birds. Kea have been killed by gunshot, poisoning with a range of substances including lead, 1080, insulation foam and chocolate. The results of the post mortem investigations are used by DOC in the conservation management of the species and in the captive care of the birds. Captive kea tend to die from different causes than wild kea and this can include cancers, aspergillus lung infections, infectious disease and nutritionalbased disorders. Wildbase has also been involved with research into health issues involving wild kea populations. Historically, in collaboration with DOC and Victoria University, we have been researching the high levels of lead poisoning that are affecting the populations of kea that live in close contact with people. Currently, Clio Reid is conducting her PhD research on the long standing problem of kea strike on sheep on high country 22
farms. Despite this dilemma having been the main driver for the bounty on kea that led to the precipitous population decline of the species, there has been surprisingly little research into the problem. Clio’s research aims to document the current extent of the issue and understand the cognitive basis of the kea strike behaviour. Recent journal articles involving kea
Reid C, McInnes K, McLelland JM, Gartrell BD. 2012. Anthropogenic lead (Pb) exposure in populations of a wild parrot (kea Nestor notabilis). New Zealand Journal of Ecology 36 (1), 56-63. Hunter S, Lenting B, Alley M. 2011. Bilateral seminomas in a kea, Nestor notabilis. Kokako 18: Wildlife Society of NZVA. McLelland JM, Reid C, McInnes KM, Roe WD and Gartrell BD. 2010. Evidence of lead exposure in a freeranging population of kea (Nestor notabilis). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46: 532-540 Ha HJ, Alley MR, Cahill JI, Howe L, Gartrell BD. 2009. The prevalence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus infection in native parrots