Starving weka rescued in Picton

A hungry young weka is on the road to recovery after being spotted on Picton’s High Street.

The tame weka was seen scavenging for food around town centre cafes earlier this week.

Animal rescuers from EcoWorld Aquarium & Wildlife Rehabilitation swooped in and rescued the starving bird who is now enjoying a diet of worms and fruit.

Manager Janelle White says the bird, affectionately nicknamed Tita, had been in a bad way.

“We got the call about midday that it was scavenging around the cafes. It took a bit of time to find it, but it was so weak and hungry that it was not that hard to net.”

“He was starving. His keel (breastbone) was protruding, and he was significantly underweight.

“He is now eating lots of worms and fruit and seems to be really enjoying the foraging activities provided by staff.”

The weka (Gallirallus australis) is a native ground dwelling bird only found in found New Zealand.

It is currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list as vulnerable which means they are particularly at risk from predators and people.

Tita will be released into the wild (far from Picton township) once he has regained enough weight and energy to survive the winter.

Janelle says the young weka could be ready for release soon.

“Foraging enrichment is an extremely important part of rehabilitation because it teaches him behaviours necessary to find food in the wild. All going well he will be released in the next few days”, said Janelle.

If you find any wildlife that appears to be in distress or danger, please notify the Department of Conservation or call the friendly staff at EcoWorld Aquarium & Wildlife Rehabilitation.