16/02/2019
Amazing use of drone technology in our own backyard!๐
A first for the team!
Earlier this week we used a drone to fly kฤkฤpล semen across Whenua Hou Island to allow us to artificially inseminate Esperance, turning a 90minute walk into a 9 minute flight.
Weโre putting a lot of effort into assisted breeding (AB) this year. Thanks to our partner Meridian Energyโs support, an international team of experts have joined the project, aiming to ensure that rare genetics such as those carried by Sinbad and Gulliver (and also the underrepresented founders) are better represented in the population. Multiple matings, whether by AB or naturally, also increases the likelihood that a female will lay fertile eggs.
Follow team scientist Andrew Digby on twitter to see more of this work as it happens in the field: https://twitter.com/takapodigs
Photo: Andrew Digby