There's been a bit of a revolving door for kea these last few months with 17 kea admitted over the last 5 months. And yet that number doesn't even make them our most commonly treated species.
We have been breaking records with our patient admits since last year, and have already admitted 104 more patients in 2026 than at the same date in 2025. Increased demands on our services and a current need for increased biosecurity increases our labour hours and uses up more of our supplies. As a charity, we rely on donations, sponsorships, grants and funds to keep doing our mahi.
If you or your business can support our work, head to wildlifehospital.co.nz/ to find#charity.#keaa#birdsofaotearoao#WildlifeHospitalf#southislandwildlifehospitalfehospital ... See MoreSee Less

Working at the wildlife hospital means getting to see some quite unique birds. We admit several giant petrels throughout the year, which are commonly brown in colour. About 10% of the southern species are a white morph with a predominant white colour mottled with dark spots. Rarer still are leucistic birds which have none of the dark spots, such as this one which we had in our care last month.
Found underweight and on land in Kaikōura, we were able to rehabilitate the pāngurunguru over the course of three weeks. Following a lot of fish, a lot of fluids, and a lot of shower time, the bird was released back to the wild at the end of June.
#pāngurunguru #southerngiantpetrel #birdsofaotearoa #WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

With the arrival of HPAI H5N1 in New Zealand, we are monitoring this emerging situation while still operating and accepting patients. Prior to its arrival, our team were already planning and implementing biosecurity measures in expectation of this eventuality. How we triage and accept patients may look different though.

Please do not turn up at the hospital without phoning us first. We may ask more indepth questions about the situation over the phone and you may be asked to keep the bird in your car on arrival while we go through an admittance procedure.

Birds need our assistance for many reasons, and the occurrence of H5N1 in the country should not be a reason to avoid seeking help. If you come across a native bird in need of care, call DOC (0800 362 468) in the first instance or if local, you can call the hospital (022 106 0170).
If there are multiple sick/dead birds or a bird has symptoms suggestive of HPAI H5N1, call the MPI exotic pest and disease hotline (0800 80 99 66) and do not touch or handle the birds.

#WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital #wildliferehab #nzbirds #birdsofaotearoa ... See MoreSee Less

One of our patient releases has been spotted with a mate! A hopeful sign of future breeding.Remember lucky Resi, the tiny chick found on the walking track in 2024?! 🐧

Well, we've got some good news! Last time we saw Resi was when we released him/her in January 2025 after being cared for at the South Island Wildlife Hospital.

Recently spotted in one of the nest box not far from our "Soft Release" area, it looks like Resi has a partner... and now, we think Resi is a female! ... See MoreSee Less

One of our vets recently spotted an ill black-billed gull on their drive in to work at the hospital. The tarāpuka was lying, wings out, on the wet grass of a cold winter morning and would have succumbed had it not been spotted. Symptoms were suggestive of alphachloralose toxicity, a drug that has a sedative effect, leading to death from hypothermia. If caught in time, affected birds can be supported in a warm environment until the effect of the drug wears off.
It can be difficult to find out where birds come into contact with the poison as they can fly away from the source of ingestion before the effect kicks in.
Black-billed gulls are endangered and are a protected species in New Zealand. Misuse and inappropriate storage or disposal of alphachloralose can put native birds at risk. Thankfully, this tarāpuka made a full recovery and was able to be released just 2 days after being rescued.
#tarāpuka #blackbilledgull #birdsofaotearoa #WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

We’re looking for a volunteer Treasurer to join the Board of Trustees and help guide the financial future of the South Island Wildlife Hospital.
This role would suit someone with accounting, finance or commercial experience who wants to use their skills to make a real difference for New Zealand wildlife.

Key responsibilities include:
• Providing financial oversight and reporting to the Board
• Monitoring budgets, cashflow and financial performance
• Supporting good financial governance and compliance
• Working alongside our volunteer accounts administrator and external accountant
• Helping improve financial systems and processes as the hospital grows

From time to time, the role will also involve helping with special projects, such as:
• developing treatment charge schedules
• improving invoicing processes for partner agencies, including DOC and councils
• helping make sure recoverable treatment costs are identified and billed promptly

Board meetings are held monthly in Christchurch, with some work completed remotely between meetings.
If you’re passionate about conservation and would like to contribute your financial expertise to a growing charity making a real impact for native wildlife, we’d love to hear from you. Email volunteering@wildlifehospital.co.nz to express an interest.
#charity #wildlifeveterinarytrust #wildlifehospital #southislandwildlifehospital #wildlifehealth ... See MoreSee Less

We've had several kōtare/sacred kingfisher brought to us recently after separate incidents involving cats. Almost all of our patients end up with us because of human interference on the environment, be it land-use changes, construction, climate change, overfishing, and predator introductions. And these pressures continue to rise.
Support from individuals, businesses, and institutions such as the National Zoo & Aquarium Conservation Team (part of National Zoo & Aquarium Canberra) allow us to keep doing our mahi. If you or your business can support our work, head to wildlifehospital.co.nz/help-us/
#charity #kōtare #sacredkingfisher #nzbirds #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less