Kaikoura Wildlife Hospital

Kaikoura Wildlife Rescue was founded in 2016, operating a non-profit dedicated to the rescue and treatment of hundreds of ill and injured native birds per year, with a focus on threatened seabirds.  This crucial conservation work was unfunded, relying on self-funding and the support of the general public.

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The facility was solely voluntarily managed and largely self-funded by wildlife biologist Sabrina Luecht over the past five years, resulting in an unsustainable workload.  The wildlife rescue concept was tested extensively during this period, with a proven need re significant  number of endemic and native birds requiring rescue and treatment (500 patients per year).

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Due to the extensive costs involved in wildlife rehabilitation, and lack of financial or voluntary support, a shift in direction is now underway.

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It is anticipated a community wildlife hospital would receive a minimum of 1,000 birds per year in need of specialist care.

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Wildlife patients consist primarily of seabirds (tubenoses, penguins, gulls, shags) as well as shorebirds, terrestrial forest birds, birds of prey and waterfowl.  Patient numbers are set to increase, as environmental threats and the biodiversity crisis continues to worsen.  There are many threats impacting our wildlife, particularly  seabirds - the most threatened  group of vertebrates in the world.  Seabirds are New Zealand's most threatened group of bird species, with 90% of our seabirds being threatened.  80% of shorebirds and 74% of terrestrial birds are also threatened  with extinction.

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Populations are declining and breeding colonies disappearing.  While some threats are well known, others are only just emerging.  Wildlife rehabilitation is a vital conservation tool to offset declines.

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The majority of native birds are ill or injured due to human related causes )starvation as a result of ongoing global warming induced marine heat waves, fish stock depletion , fisheries bycatch, marine entanglements, plastic ingestion, boat strike, vehicle strike, window strike, light pollution/,disorientation, introduced predators, irresponsible pet ownership, disease/illness, toxicity/poisoning).

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Saving native birds/taonga species from further decline is not only critical from a biodiversity point of view, but to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy what we are able to enjoy today.

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Helping birdlife in need is not only a service to the individual birds rescued, but to the New Zealand's overall species diversity.  Wildlife rehabilitation enables the mitigation of human impacts and addresses wildlife losses, by treating birds which would otherwise succumb to death, and returning these to the population to ensure future breeding success ( reproductive success).