Captive Kea

Face to face at Paradise Valley, photo by Paradise Valley

Kea are held in New Zealand captive facilities for three main purposes:

1. Advocacy – to raise public awareness of kea; the issues facing the species in the wild and the ways in which people can help protect them;
2. Research – utilising captive individuals to better understand the species and threats to the species through controlled and ethical trials;
3. Potential Insurance population – holding a viable, genetically and behaviourally robust population for supplemetation of the wild population should the need be identified.

A permit is required to hold kea in captivity within New Zealand. Permits are managed by the Department of Conservation and are issued for a 5 year term. Currently there are just over 60 kea held in 20 registered facilities throughout New  Zealand (2013). The number of kea held has reduced from 102 in 2002 due to an aging population. Many of these kea are genetically important and may potentially be used in future breeding programmes.

New increased husbandry standards as detailed in the 2010 Kea Husbandry Manual (developed by the KCT), will ensure that holding of kea in the future is restricted to facilities which are able to achieve high standards of management and housing. Enforcement of these standards will be the responsiblity of DOC who will conduct 5 yearly audits prior to issuing of holder permits.

Kea Husbandry Manual 2010

Captive breeding

Many of the kea currently held in captive institutions are genetically important and may potentially be used in future breeding programmes. At present there is limited and highly selective breeding of kea as directed by the Species Coordinator. Although breeding is necessary to preserve maximum genetic diversity and normal kea reproductive behaviours, there will continue […]

Read More...

Kea as a ‘high priority species’

High priority species are those which have complex environmental demands in the wild. These demands can impact on survival and as such, the ability of the individual to make complex cognitive decisions is crucial for survival. Generalist species adapted to an extreme environment, species with complex social structures and/or those which exhibit complex anti-predator behaviours, […]

Read More...

Captive kea as insurance population

Reputable zoos globally, work cooperatively under regional umbrella organisations to hold self-sustaining ex-situ populations of threatened species. These populations are sometimes viewed and managed as insurance populations; preserving important genetics for potential reintroduction to boost wild populations which have catastrophically declined (e.g due to high magnitude stoat irruptions, disease outbreaks etc). A genetically viable captive […]

Read More...

Captive kea for research

The captive population provides a unique opportunity for researchers to conduct behavioural observations and tests to better manage kea and kea threats in the wild. All research projects must go through an extensive ethic approvals process, managed by Department of Conservation and either the research facilities own Animal Ethics Committees and/or the kea holders organisation. […]

Read More...

Captive kea for advocacy

Captive kea provide an opportunity for people to learn about, understand and empathise with their wild counterparts. Kea in the wild are often considered a nuisance and as such are  still persecuted because of their propensity to investigating and destroying huma property. Fostering understanding and tolerance for species which are so interactive is vitally important […]

Read More...

Increased captive standards

Prior to 2010, the captive standards for kea were minimal. This resulted in a captive population held in facilities ranging from very barren environments and out dated managment systems (which constituted a serious welfare issue) to highly enriched and complex environments with excellent and forward thinking husbandry practices. In 2010, a new husbandry manual written […]

Read More...