This Cook’s petrel on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) was eaten by a kiore or Pacific rat. Polynesians and Europeans introduced a number of predatory mammals to New Zealand. Even the smallest of these, the kiore, wiped out large numbers of petrels which nested on the mainland and islands. In 2004 the Department of Conservation carried out an operation to eradicate kiore from the 2,800-hectare Little Barrier Island. The following breeding season, Cook’s petrels had 70% breeding success, compared with 5% in previous years.
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Reference: 10031111
by Dick Veitch
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