How Many Kakapos are left? (2023)
Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by Ali Shahid
Kakapo is a critically endangered parrot species native to New Zealand. The population number is actually three digits. There is a common question among kakapo lovers: how many kakapos are left?
Currently, there are 252 kakapos left in the world. Each of these 252 individuals has been named and tagged. Moreover, these numbers have been achieved as a result of the extensive recovery program for kakapo.
As a result of the 2022 breeding season, there are 252 Kakapos, the highest number since almost 50 years ago. According to the conservation department, New Zealand’s kakapo population increased by 25% last year to 252 birds after a good breeding season and artificial insemination.
As kakapo birds cannot fly, introduced predators such as stoats, rats, and cats have nearly wiped them out. Multiple factors contribute to the problem, including inbreeding, low fertility – only 50% of eggs are fertilized – and being unable to reproduce every two or three years during the fruiting season.
The world’s heaviest parrot was on the verge of extinction, but conservationists and Maori tribe members saved it.
Official Report on Kakapo Population
According to the latest statistics, the kakapo population has increased by 25% in the last year, reaching 252 birds. Only 86 of them remained in 2002.
Several successful artificial insemination attempts, as well as a good breeding season, contributed to the population boom. Overall, 55 chicks entered the official population this season.
“Everyone is working together to save the kakapo,” Conservation Minister Poto Williams said. “Bird numbers are at their highest since the 1970s, but we cannot lose sight of the ball,” she said.
Ngai Tahu and the government of New Zealand collaborated on the Kakapo Recovery Program in 1995. “The tribe’s vision for kakapo is to increase their population and enable them to live naturally,” said Tane Davis.
