Kakapo

This charismatic ground parrot from New Zealand hit the headlines after Sirocco, a male kakapo raised by humans, tried to mate with Mark’s head in Last Chance to See (right). The world fell in love with the largest, fattest and least-able-to-fly parrot that only comes out at night, smells like a musty clarinet case and has a song like a collection of Pink Floyd studio outtakes.

Threatened by the introduction of predators such as stoats, cats, rats and dogs, the kakapo plummeted towards extinction. When Mark first visited New Zealand with Douglas Adams in 1989, for the original Last Chance to See, the population had hit an all-time low of just 40 birds. But it has since clawed its way back – now there are 120 and counting.

That there are any left at all is a tribute to the determination and dedication of the people charged with the kakapo’s protection, but by no stretch of the imagination is 120 a safe and healthy population. There is no denying that the species is still teetering on the brink of extinction. Find out more at www.kakaporecovery.org.nz