ASA Conservation Action
The Avicultural Society of America is happy to support the efforts of the San Diego Zoological Society department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) program to translocate the critically endangered Rimatara (Kuhl's) Lorikeet. Please help support this effort with a donation to our Conservation Fund. 100% of the funds received will be passed along to the Rimatara Lorikeet Translocation Project.
Translocation of Rimatara Lorikeets to the Cook Islands
The fossil record and oral traditions show that the Rimatara lorikeet was formerly a native bird on most of the Southern Cook Islands. It was much prized for its small red feathers, which were used for chiefly adornments, and for decorating ceremonial headdresses. Today the Rimatara lorikeet survives only on Rimatara, a small Makatea Island southeast of Mangaia, and in the northern Line Islands, where it was introduced in historical times.
The Zoological Society of San Diego has been a conservation partner with French Polynesia in the conservation of several species of lories. It is believed that if invasive ship rats should ever invade Rimatara, the endemic lorikeet would soon become extinct in its natural range. The CRES Applied Animal Ecology Division is working with Cook Islands Natural Heritage staff to increase quarantine procedures and awareness to prevent the introduction of the ship rat and to establish a backup population on an island within the lory’s former natural range, namely ‘Tiu in the Southern Cook Islands.
Staff will mist-net 20 Rimatara lorikeets, maintain them in field cages, and send them to ‘Tiu for release. The process will include health evaluations of each of the lorikeets as well as a general surveillance and evaluation of the health of the avifauna on the island. Approximately one year post-release, staff will conduct a collaborative island-wide survey to determine numbers of release birds, reproductive activity, distribution, and habitat utilization and cultural implications.
