Scientists use artificial insemination to boost kākāpō numbers
The scientific name for kākāpō means 'owl face - soft feathered' (Strigops habroptilus).
Photo:
Jake Osborne
A new study has discovered the use of artificial insemination is improving the fertility of kākāpō.
It isn't the first time scientists have tried the method, with the first trial in 2009. But this time a team of German scientists from the University of Giessen was called in to help out.
Kākāpō numbers have bounced back from just 51 birds in the 1990s, to 242 today.
Co-author of the study and Department of Conservation's science advisor Dr Andrew Digby told
Morning Report
the team members have been refining their methods since the first success in 2019, but the method was not easy.
"Doing it in the wild is actually really, really difficult," he said.
"First of all, you've got to find and catch the male that you want, and then you've got to get the sperm from him, and you use a massage technique for that.
"Then we've got to get the sperm to the female, and that's not an easy task because sometimes the female can be quite a long way away."
Next they've got to catch the female and inseminate her, which can be hard if she is up a tree for example, Dr Digby said.
Kākāpō numbers have bounced back from just 51 birds in the 1990s, to 242 today.
Photo:
Jake Osborne
Dr Digby explained these challenges are why it has been quite a long time between the team being successful with the method.
Kākāpō have a low genetic diversity, which is one of the reasons Dr Digby and his team are using artificial insemination to help grow numbers.
"We've got some males who have been trying to mate for decades, but they've never been successful," he said.
"We are giving them a bit of a helping hand to ensure that their genes carry on into future generations."
Dr Digby said his team have been working with scientists from around the world, as the skills required to do the work are "incredibly specialised".
"This German team have got a lot of experience with inseminating parrots, but even they found that the kākāpō is quite different to all of the other parrots.
"Ultimately this is a relatively short-term measure. We want to be as natural as possible, we want them to do it for themselves."
Kākāpō only breed every two to four years, and Dr Digby was confident 2026 would be a very big breeding season as it will be four years since the last one.
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