Overview
Richard Henry (1845–1929) was the curator and caretaker of the world’s first island sanctuary for birds. Henry managed Resolution Island in the remote south-west corner of the South Island from 1894 to 1908.
He tracked and trapped endangered native birds on the mainland, notably kākāpō and kiwi, transferring well over 700 to Resolution Island and other islands in Dusky Sound.
Though a ‘world first’, the establishment of the sanctuary had been a lengthy process. Dunedin naturalist Thomas Potts had proposed the idea of island sanctuaries in the 1870s. He had appealed for a haven for indigenous species at a time when introducing ferrets, stoats, and weasels (collectively termed ‘mustelids’) was being proposed to control introduced rabbits.
The release of these predators resulted in the rapid decline of native birds. This prompted university scientists, as well as members of acclimatisation and scientific societies, to pressure the government to realise Potts’ idea.
In 1891, delegates at a meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement for Science resolved that Little Barrier Island and Resolution Island be considered as reserves.
Another three years passed before Richard Henry was appointed to oversee the Resolution Island sanctuary.
Henry was the ideal choice for this role. He had immigrated to Australia from Ireland in 1851 and had spent his childhood outdoors, closely observing the environment. He came to New Zealand in about 1874 and led an itinerant life, eventually settling at the southern end of Lake Te Anau. There he became known as a bush guide and explorer. In his spare time, he observed, collected, and preserved birds and developed a knowledge of kākāpō breeding.
He also noted the decline of native birds after the introduction of mustelids and predicted the extinction of the kākāpō. Self-taught, Henry developed his own methods of recording bird life and operated outside colonial scientific networks.
Between 1894 and 1900, Henry, who monitored and recorded the progress of relocated birds, proved that, in the right conditions, birds could survive relocation.
In 1900, tourists visiting Resolution Island told Henry that they had seen a weasel chasing a weka along the beach. Henry was sceptical. But he saw one himself a few months later. His efforts to trap it failed. The illegal release of a dog on the island by fishermen inflamed the situation.
Once these predators became established on the island, it was pointless for Henry to transfer any more birds. The ones already there were doomed. He eventually moved north to another island sanctuary, Kapiti, in 1908.
Regardless of the tragic conclusion on Resolution Island, the sanctuary was a landmark effort in bird conservation. It was the first programme of systematic bird transfers anywhere in the world. Nothing like it was attempted for another seventy years.
Further reading
• Hill, S and J (1987). Richard Henry of Resolution Island. Dunedin
• Ormerod, Robin. ‘Henry, Richard Treacy, 1845–1929’. In Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume 2, 1870–1900. Claudia Orange, ed. Wellington, p210.
Text originally published in Tai Awatea, Te Papa's onfloor multimedia database (2006)