Human-wildlife
conflict is a growing global problem with considerable and varied impacts,
e.g., on human livelihoods and endangered species, and is especially
concentrated in agriculture. Although not a new problem, its conservation
impacts only began to become apparent relatively recently. An unresolved
example of such conflict is between kea (Nestor
notabilis), an endangered high country parrot endemic to the South Island
of New Zealand, and high country sheep farmers. Kea have been observed
attacking sheep (a phenomenon referred to as “kea strike”) on high country
farms since 1868. Kea strike can cause illness, injury and death in sheep and was
the driver for a government bounty scheme lasting approximately 100 years,
which resulted in the deaths of at least 150,000 kea and a large population
decline leading to their current endangered status. Kea strike has not been
well studied and is poorly understood, the literature being largely historical and/or anecdotal. Kea strike still
occurs, and kea are still persecuted as a result despite their conservation
status. To gain a scientific understanding of kea strike, we began by
investigating historical accounts from a range of sources, including government
records, newspapers, and books. This enabled us to examine the commonalities
between high country sheep farmers’ historical accounts of kea strike, and to
compare these to the experiences of farmers today. This information, in
addition to other data we have collected on kea strike and wild kea behaviour, will
be provided to conservation managers and high country sheep farmers to help
inform their policies and practices where kea strike is still a problem. We
anticipate that this will help to mitigate kea strike, and therefore assist kea
conservation.