Endangered bird receiving treatment at Wellington Zoo

Puffin the Takahe. Photo / Chris Helliwell

An elderly endangered bird from Zealandia is receiving treatment at Wellington Zoo after being found lame in the left leg.

Puffin, the 20-year-old female Takahe usually resides at the Wellington sanctuary, but has shown slight lameness over the past 18 months.

She arrived at The Nest, Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, for examination after being seen obviously lame in one leg last Friday.

"After taking a range of x-rays, we couldn't see anything abnormal that might be causing the limp or any arthritis in Puffin's joints," said Dr Lisa Argilla, Veterinary Science Manager at Wellington Zoo.

"However, we saw some ossification of her tendons, which is when cartilage tissue starts converting into bone, but this is normal in elderly animals. It may just be a sprain that will heal in due course."

At this stage, Puffin will stay under observation at The Nest for the next few weeks.

"We're going to see how Puffin responds to pain killers over the next few days, and we'll move her into an aviary where we can get a better look at how she is walking.

"If we don't see signs of improvement over the next week, then Puffin might have a CT scan so we can get a better look at any subtle changes that might be restricting her movement."

Wellington Zoo offers specialist veterinary care for native birds and both organisations work together to save native wildlife.

Puffin is one of two Takahe at Zealandia.

Manager Conservation, Research, Learning and Education at Zealandia Raewyn Empson said Puffin and her partner T2 retired at the sanctuary in 2011.

"As an old pair, there was always an expectation that at some stage one or both of them would face some medical issues - the examination and treatment at The Nest gives us hope that she will once again be able to interact with visitors here alongside her mate T2."

About Takahe:

• Takahe are flightless birds which were once thought to be extinct until being rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948.

• Takahe are critically endangered.

• Takahe are distantly related to the Pukeko.

• The Department of Conservation runs the Takahe Recovery Programme in partnership with Mitre10 Takahe Rescue to ensure the survival, growth and security of Takahe populations throughout New Zealand.

(Source: Department of Conservation)