Nearly 200 critically endangered Māhoenui giant wētā have been released today from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
The Māhoenui giant wētā – originating from a single site in the North Island – was one of the world’s largest insects, measuring up to 7cm and weighing approximately 15 grams.
About 193 of the nocturnal insects, classified as “nationally critical”, were released from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, that homed a captive breeding programme and specially built laboratories.
The last time Māhoenui giant wētā were released to the mountain was in 2012-13, the Department of Conservation said. They were previously translocated to private land at Warrenheip, near Cambridge, and Mahurangi Island off the Coromandel coast.
DOC senior biodiversity adviser Amanda Haigh said today’s release “reflects just how successful Ōtorohanga Kiwi House’s captive breeding programme has been”.
“Releasing the precious offspring of captive wētā into a natural habitat at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari – free of predators and threats – is really rewarding for everyone involved.
“Our hope is they breed with offspring of those Māhoenui giant wētā released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in 2012-13.”
About 193 of the nocturnal insects were released from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House. (Source: 1News)
Haigh said support of Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, who regarded the wētā as a taonga species, was vital for the captive breeding programme.
“To have our iwi partners providing guidance on the appropriate tikanga for the handover of the wētā from Ngāti Maniapoto to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura demonstrates the partnership which has made this translocation possible.”
The wētā were released by experienced wētā handlers into pre-selected locations across Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
