14 Feb 2011

New attempt to transfer blue duck to safer areaa

4:29 pm on 14 February 2011

Another attempt is to be made by the Department of Conservation to transfer juvenile ducks to safer areas within northern Fiordland despite the failure of a previous effort.

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DoC aims to boost the number of blue ducks (whio) in eight security zones.

Biodiversity ranger Andrew Smart says the weather has made it difficult to catch the ducks this season.

However, despite them being hard to find, he says their numbers are on the increase, with about 42 pairs believed to be in northern Fiordland.

Mr Smart says the northern Fiordland security site is on track to achieve its goal of more than 50 pairs of blue ducks by 2017.