By Jacob Johnson
Some of New Zealand’s most endangered mudfish now have a new home at a wildlife zoo in Christchurch.
This morning the Department of Conservation transferred 100 Canterbury mudfish, or kōwaro, to a waterway in Orana Park.
As their name suggests, they’re only found on the Canterbury Plains and predominantly in wetlands on private land.
However increased land use means their habitats are starting to dry up.
DOC Senior Biodiversity Ranger Anita Spencer hopes that having them in the public eye will improve the species’ chances of survival.
“People protect what they know about so by raising further awareness our hope is that Park visitors may be driven to help further protect these Canterbury fish”.
She says Orana Park will provide a back-up ecosystem for the critically endangered creatures.
“Our priority with mudfish has always been to protect their natural populations, however very few of these sites have any sort of legal protection.”
The mudfish were transferred to Orana Park from a captive population at the Isaac Conservation Trust and DOC hopes to move a further 200 mudfish to Orana Park in the new year.
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