A conversation about my favourite parrot! I had the pleasure of chatting with the Co-founder and Chair of the Kea Conservation Trust Tamsin Orr-Walker has spent 20 years protecting Kea, the world’s most curious parrot.

Kea slide down rooftops for fun, dismantle cars out of curiosity, and once caused $30,000 in damage to forestry equipment in a single night. They’re also  endangered, with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild. The very traits that make them so captivating are the same ones that keep getting them into trouble.

This was a fun conversation about one of the most intelligent, curious, and mischievous birds on the planet. In this conversation we cover:
How 150,000 kea were killed under a government bounty, and the shift that followed
The lead poisoning crisis hiding in plain sight on South Island rooftops
How a conflict with forestry crews turned into one of their biggest conservation wins
Why New Zealand leads the world on public support for conservation
What 20 years of building a conservation trust from scratch actually looks like
Link in comments. 🦜
#SavingWildlife #conservation #kea #podcast #wildlife #NewZealand