Please help us finish our Kererū Flight Aviary!
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For nearly twenty years, Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust (WBRT) has been operating a bird rehabilitation hospital located in 24 hectares of farmland in Ohariu, near Johnsonville. The brainchild of Craig Shepherd, Founding Trustee, the centre is mostly self-funded with help from volunteers, donors and the community.
WBRT treats over 1,000 birds a year, taking in all types of native and non-native birds who have been injured or orphaned. This includes over 80 injured Kererū brought in by the community in 2020. These big birds are much-loved and seen in increasing numbers in suburban areas, but unfortunately are often injured by cars, window strike, power lines, and by predators such as rats and stoats. |
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Make a donation instead of buying a commercial gift!
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WBRT is building a special flight aviary so that injured Kererū have somewhere to recover and regain their strength to fly. The project is well under way - we've covered costs for the concrete foundation, and already received several other significant private donations towards the mesh walls.
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As Craig Shepherd explains:
“Keeping these big birds in limited spaces in our hospital is not optimal, as a key part of bird rehabilitation is the need to re-establish their ability to fly. The aviary will allow for greater numbers and a quicker recovery, and for us to better assess their suitability for release into the wild.” We are hoping the local community can help us raise the final $10,000 so that we can complete the build early in 2022. It would be a great way to celebrate Christmas through supporting these wonderful birds, and also encouraging native bush regeneration. Kererū play a critical role in this process because they are the one native bird left that is big enough to eat and spread seeds of larger native trees.” |
