It’s hard to imagine now, but people hunted keas for nearly 100 years! Keas are a perfect example of how people’s values and then management of wildlife changes over time.
New Zealand is a land full of unique wildlife. You can see a flightless, nocturnal bird that hops around on the ground. You can also see the only alpine parrot in the world, the kea. Today we marvel at these animals, but that was not always the case. In the early 1800s keas were abundant and their curiosity led them to become a pest for sheepherders. Over 100 years people killed about 150,000 birds, bringing their population down to several thousand.
Kea – The Only Alpine Parrot In The World
The kea is a native New Zealand bird that now lives in small populations only on the south island. They can be seen in the southern alps and can often be seen around places people visits, such as mountain huts, Arthurs pass village, and ski fields.
They are curious birds and love to hang out around where people are. Some of them like to see what they can take from unsuspecting tourists, such as food, hats, shoes, or cameras.
People Hunted Keas – How Did That Come About?
As I said Keas are inquisitive by nature. When people came to New Zealand they began taking herds of sheep up into the mountains. These sheep became a curiosity for the kea and eventually a source of food for them.
Keas learned that they could eat the live flesh of sheep by sitting on their backs. They would come down to the herds in flocks of up to 120 birds and harass the sheep. Some of the sheep would be driven off cliffs, others run to exhaustion, and others just eaten alive.
It was at this point that the keas became to be seen as a nuisance by farmers. These birds were killing their animals and causing a serious problem to their livelihood. The government at the time placed a bounty on the birds that remained in place from roughly 1870 to 1970.
In a 100 year period people hunted keas and were paid per beak that they brought in. Estimates are that 150,000 keas were killed during this time.
Keas Are Protected Today
The bounty remained in place until the 1970s when it was removed and the birds received some protection. It was partial, but not complete protection in the same way that wolves were protected in the USA for yeas. If a farmer felt that a kea was attacking his herd he could kill the kea.
It was not until 1986 that the Keas finally got complete protection under the law. Keas, like almost all native New Zealand birds, are now protected. The Kea population today is around 3,000 – 7,000 birds and it’s now listed as an endangered species.