Hetti

This lovely young kea 'Hetti' was named by Tanja, a long term Arthur's Passian who helped us out on kea conservation work in the area. Did you know that kea are among the cleverest of birds in the world? They can even work together in a team to figure out a complex puzzle in no time! Hetti was treated for lead poisoning in May 2019, a radio transmitter attached and then released into the Hawdon valley. She is checked up on every month during a radio tracking flight and doing well and is still hanging out in the Hawdon Valley with some of the more wild birds. Update November 2020: Sadly Hetti's remains were collected from the Hawdon Valley, a year and a half after lead chelation treatment. Her remains were analysed for predator saliva and came back positive for feral cat. Feral cats are now often the cause of deaths in the kea population on the eastern side of the main divide.