RealNZ | Ao-ata-te-po Cooper Island Trapping Trip

What really happens on a trapping trip, and how long does it take to check and reset 989 traps?

If you know a little about Aotearoa's native bird species, you'll know how vulnerable they are to introduced mammals like rats and stoats, which are the reason so many gorgeous birds like kiwi, kākāriki, and kea are in decline.

Head off with ‪@realryfly‬, a volunteer on the final RealNZ trapping expedition of 2023, as he takes you across Cooper Island, the third largest island in Fiordland. This one island is only one piece of the puzzle in the Department of Conservation's Tamatea/Dusky Sound Restoration Programme, which aims to return more native birds to this spectacular and remote area of New Zealand.