Natural History Wanderings

Quartz reports

Four rare takahē birds, part of a remaining population of only 300, were killed by hunters’ shotgun pellets on Motutapu Island, New Zealand last week.

The endangered birds, a native species of New Zealand, were shot by members of New Zealand Deerstalkers Association—which protects hunters’ rights—during a cull of a different, non-endangered bird, the pukeko. The dead birds were discovered by conservation staff from the Motutapu Restoration Trust, a volunteer organization focused on the restoration of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Read full story at New Zealand tragically slaughtered 1% of an endangered bird species – Quartz.