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Shakespear Open Sanctuary was chosen as the first habitat on mainland New Zealand suitable for the relocation of wētāpunga, or giant weta, and more than 200 are now resident there.
A total of 206 wētāpunga, of varying sizes were released in the open sanctuary on Friday, September 23.
They are an impressive insect – the largest in NZ. When fully grown they can weigh more than a mouse or sparrow. Wētāpunga were once found throughout Northland and Auckland, however due to massive habitat loss and predation they became restricted to Little Barrier Island.
A breeding programme at Butterfly Creek, which began in 2009, has been critical in the mission to save this threatened species, and that is where the wētāpunga destined for Shakespear Open Sanctuary were bred. They were transported to the open sanctuary on release day, each in its own carefully labelled plastic container.
From there, a team from the open sanctuary, including open sanctuaries senior ranger Matt Maitland, along with representatives of Butterfly Creek, community partners such as SOSSI’s Jenny Hanwell, and mana whenua (Ngati Manuhiri) released them into several locations in the bush. They were placed into bamboo tubes mounted to trees, which provide a refuge from predation by birds such as ruru (morepork).
The release is a significant milestone for the open sanctuary – it is the sixth species introduced there in recent years.
It is also important in protecting the wild population of wētāpunga and increasing the resilience of the species. The giant wētā will be monitored monthly, including checks on the bamboo tubes, footprint tracking tunnels and spotlight surveys. During the day they usually hide and at night they leave their resting places to move around in trees or on the ground. Previous releases of wētāpunga have successfully occurred on Tiritiri Matangi and Motuora Islands, and plans are underway for a further mainland release, at Tawharanui Regional Park, later this month.
