Whio Awareness Month is celebrated during March, when young adult whio which have been reared in captivity are released back into the wild. We celebrate the month with stories, events and competitions in partnership with the Department of Conservation. Perhaps the most significant conservation work currently carried out by Orana Wildlife Park is the “breed for release” captive recovery programmes for endangered New Zealand waterfowl - both whio (blue duck) and pateke (brown teal). The many birds bred at Orana are regularly released to the wild.
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Fabulous
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Theo
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and Sneaky
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Watch Our Whio
This is true reality television, so we can't guarantee that the whio will be in view, or that they will perform for you, but this is probably your best opportunity to see and hear South Island Whio from home!
What Can I Do?
- Enter the colouring in competition
- Find out what the Department of Conservation are doing for whio
- Get teaching resources for your class to learn more
- Watch videos about the work to save whio in the wild