Pohokura is home to a growing number of whio. Breeding has been documented at several sites and the population on the property is now deemed ‘nationally significant’. Our goal at Pohokura is to provide a safe haven where whio can survive and expand into the surrounding public and private land.

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The pest control poison 1080 is used at Pohokura from time to time to control predators. This is believed to provide enough protection for whio. However further protection work is under way in order to provide a secure base from which Pohokura’s whio population can expand into surrounding public and private land.

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At this stage the best method for achieving this has been large-scale stoat trapping and our efforts to secure the necessary resources continue. 

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In contrast, the lack of whio breeding sites documented in the nearby Whirinaki Forest indicates that the 1080 operation at Pohokura may have proved vital for the continued survival of our resident population.

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Whio breeding has been documented at several sites across Pohokura. Not all potential breeding sites have been visited, however, so additional breeding may yet be unrecorded.