Threats
“From 1860 on, over 150,000 Kea were shot and killed by farmers as part of a bounty to protect sheep.” (Jong, 2016). Once a popular and connected species, the Kea would occasionally go after and hunt large sheep as part of flocks to access their fat stores and survive the winter. When the farmers found their sheep injured or dead, the government of New Zealand put a bounty for Kea into effect whereby each beak brought in would be worth generous compensation. Kea hunting rose. Not only did these birds plummet within the mountains, but the allure for money was so strong, individuals would sneak into the protected areas and hunt Kea there. By today, there are only 4,000 Kea left in the wild. (ICUN Redlist, 2017).
Short term impacts are not the only thing humans are involved in that is detrimental to the Kea population. “64% of Kea samples in populated areas had blood lead levels high enough to have lead poisoning.” (Kea at risk from lead poisoning, 2012). Buildings made like shearing huts and other small mountain dwellings are old and constructed with lead as a main component. Kea, being none the wiser, will inquisitively bite into or scratch at the walls and paint, seeking food.
Kea also possess a nasty habit of biting into and ingesting toxic and heavy metals from cars- what may seem like a "pest-like" problem can cause detrimental indigestion and death for Kea down the road. Lead poisoning induces maniacal behavior and changes the brain. Kea will often forget to eat and starve, or die from too much lead in their blood immediately. Tourists will also feed Kea food that is not meant for them, furthering the cycle of inquisitive nibbling on inedible materials not meant for them. Lead poisoning can affect the nervous, renal, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems. The birds affected were seen to be stumbling clumsily and making irregular calls which are key signs of poisoning. (Temple,2018). “Autopsies done on 20 Kea birds showed that 11/20 of them suffered from lead poisoning as a cause of death.” (Kea at risk from lead poisoning, 2012). Over half the Kea are dying from lead poisoning, and their numbers are already dwindling to the extremes.
Main Threats the Kea Face
Agriculture & aquaculture:Livestock farming & ranching:
Agriculture can cause a lot of habitat loss because it requires a lot of space. This is one of the main reasons why the Kea parrot was pushed towards the mountains(The Gaurdian, 2021. Not only do livestock and crops pollute the environment(IUCN Redlist,2017), the farmers themselves saw Keas as threats and would kill them in masses(Department of Conservation,2021).
Transportation & service corridors: Roads & railroads:
In general transportation vehicles such as cars produce runoff and carbon dioxide which heavily pollutes the ecosystem(Department of Conservation,2021). Cars, buses, and trains can end up hitting passing by Keas and they also physically degrade the precious alpine ecosystem that the Keas live and rely on(IUCN Redlist,2017).
Human intrusions & disturbance: Recreational activities:
There are many areas in the mountainsess regions of New Zealand where Kea live that are essentially untouched by humans. In theory these places should be a safe place for them to live but humans are still casuing them issues even when the Keas are so isolated (Gaurdian,2021). Keas are very playful and will pretty much fiddle with whatever they can get their beaks on. When people drive up to the mountainous regions they are putting the Kea at risk due to Kea consuming poisoness chemicals from cars and habitat degredation from cars, offroad veahicles, bikes, etc.(IUCN Redlist,2017).
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases: Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases:
One of the biggest threats to Keas are invasive species, specifically stoats, (IUCN Redlist,2017). Stoats were introduced from Great Britain in the 1870’s and have been causing a ruckus ever since (Brockie,2015). Because stoats are invasive the surrounding ecosystem is built for them which means they don’t have any natural predators, this causes massive booms which have been name “Stoat Plagues”(Brockie,2015). Stoats and other rodents will find Kea nests and eat the eggs and chicks(Brockie,2015).
Climate change & severe weather: Habitat shifting & alteration:
Becasue Alpine biomes contain a lot of snow and ice they will fall consequnce to global warming before many other biomes(Quaternary International,2007). There would be a lot of snow and ice melt which would shrink the habitat of the Kea tremedously(IUCN Redlist,2017). This would force the Keas to seek out unnatural living areas where there are most likely people(Gaurdian,2021).
Sinister Stoats
Rod Morris, Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai, CC BY
Where humans are not concerned, there are the environmental factors. New Zealand is facing a “plague of stoats” (Jong, 2016) - meaning the population of ferret-like rodents is many times its usual number. “⅔ of Kea chicks are eaten or destroyed due to animals scavenging the ground.” (Jong, 2016). Most of these scavenging animals are the stoat, and when in an excess they can completely dismantle the evolutionary process of the Kea. It is estimated that around 60% of Kea nests are normally attacked by predators, especially stoats, which may also kill adults; this can rise to as many as 99% of nests being attacked in a stoat “plague” (Department of Conservation 2016).
Kea are facing habitat loss as well, as more and more of their mountain zones are being affected by climate change. Scientists estimate New Zealand’s alpine zone, the home of the Kea, could shrink by up to 80% (Rykers, 2017). Although Kea can physically survive in biomes warmer than the alpine they currently inhabit, forcing them out of their home would increase their human population problem, and cause the lead and other toxic material pollution to rise. The mountains are the only place left in which Kea can live relatively unbothered, and since humans are encroaching so heavily on their population, they must continue to inhabit their mountain home.
H.I.P.P.C.O
H: Habitat- increased development and lead housing and tourist encroachment threaten the isolated alpine range.
I: Invasive species- stoat plague in which the population of rodents overruns that of Kea and contributes to species loss.
P: Population- human interaction has caused the Kea to become less shy and more likely to play with or eat dangerous materials, as well as dull their natural instincts.
P: Pollution- lead poisoning results in many deaths and can spread throughout the bird in a process called bioaccumulation.
C: Climate change- as temperatures warm, the Kea's alpine zone shrinks, forcing them to find other habitable spaces to live.
O: Over-exploitation- the historical hunting of the Kea for bounty money and so-called "pest control" has caused a drastic decline in numbers.
Is Poison The Solution?
In New Zealand 1080, otherwise known as sodium fluoroacetate is a method of pest control used all over New Zealand. This chemical is aeriely dropped in masses over areas with wildlife with an intent to control the populations of pests, like stoats and rabbits. When this chemical first started being used, many native species such as birds and deer were getting killed becasue of injesting 1080. Efforts have been made to make 1080 safe for native animals but there are still a lot of risks and big gaps in research. While eliminating the amount of pests does increse the population of native plants and animals there is still a lot of damage being done to the enviornment.
