Nene pairs released for the 2014 breeding season.
The Nene flock at Slimbridge fluctuates from between 65-85 birds during the seasons, and our beloved pairs breed and multiply in the Spring before being redistributed in the Autumn.
Some of these pairs are adopted, well-loved, followed and managed; all in the aid of genetic diversity amongst an inbred population.
These gorgeous birds pair for life and are highly devoted to one another (with varying degrees of success!) You can see already in the photo below that they are already dividing up into twos upon release.
The Nene breeding season begins in January (you can take a bird out of Hawaii but you can't take Hawaii out of the bird!) In advance of this, we worm all our geese using an Ivomec vaccine to prevent parasitic worms from playing havoc with their digestive systems and having a negative effect on their health. During this process, you can imagine the geese are not best pleased. If they can escape they will, and inevitably every year we accidentally lose a few and split up pairings.
Just such a thing has happened to AUS and AXA. This is by no means the first time that this intrepid male has escaped us! In 2010 he escaped into the composting area and abandoned AXA. Bereft, they pined for each other for weeks and weeks, and when it came to release the adults into the grounds, AXA went on without him. After months elapsed and they weren't reunited, both birds bred with new partners. After their broods hatched and matured, the Nene were duly taken off site to fatten up before the winter and they were finally re-united. They left their new partners out in the cold and were as dedicated to each other as ever once again.
It has happened again.
AUS escaped the catching process in 2013, and has been mourning his beloved AXA from the isolation of the Canoe Safari play area. Having been separated for upwards of two months, AXA was being courted by several males which were all too young for her stately years (a cracking 13!) To avoid the stress, I lifted her straight to the Canoe safari. The lucky old girl is now toddling around with her lucky old guy once again.
Keep an eye out for my beloved Nene in the coming weeks.
