8 Jul 2025

Golden labrador discovers group of endangered birds

From Checkpoint, 5:25 pm on 8 July 2025

A dog has found a flock of endangered blue duck or whio in part of the West Coast where they havent been seen for decades. Tui, a golden labrador retriever, is trained to sniff out the protected birds. She and her owner were surveying the Ten Mile Stream catchment in the Paparoa Ranges earlier this year when Tui found a feather. After covering some rough terrain Tui sniffed out seven Whio in total, including ducklings. Project Manager at the Paparoa Wildlife Trust and Tui's owner Glen Newton spoke to Lisa Owen.