News Archives

Anglo-Nubian News

There is some confusion over what a Nubian Goat is and what an Anglo-Nubian goat is – they are the same breed. Anglo-Nubian is the name given to the breed in Britain after crossing goats of African and Indian origin with their own British goats, the breed was established and recognised in 1896. In New Zealand, an Anglo-Nubian is often referred to as a Nubian if it has any other breed in its blood line, even as far back as 20 generations. This was due to breeders wanting to differentiate between Anglo-Nubians that have been line bred directly from the original imports from Britain to Australia and the ones that have had different blood added. The title "Nubian" was given to these goats, even though they were still "Anglo-Nubians".

It is generally quite obvious if an Anglo-Nubian is less than five generations of only Anglo-Nubian blood, these animals are referred to as "Recorded Anglo-Nubians" or "Cross-Bred Anglo-Nubians" (if the original cross is another pedigree goat of another breed) but are not "Pedigree Anglo-Nubian". A Pedigree Anglo-Nubian must be of five or more generations of the breed.

The Nubian Breed Society of New Zealand (Inc) has recently given the Nubian or Anglo-Nubian goat back its correct title of Anglo-Nubian after a unanimous vote by the membership, the Society has also undertaken a name change to recognise this. The Society is now named the "Anglo-Nubian Breed Society of New Zealand (Inc)". This brings the New Zealand breed into line with Australia and the UK where the breed came from originally.

In February this year, 14 new Anglo-Nubian imports were brought into New Zealand from Australia (photo above shows one of them); this is the first import of new Anglo-Nubian blood for more than 16 years. It will be a huge boost for the gene pool in our country. Two of the does have since kidded with their Australian conceived progeny and the rest are due later in the year. They were selected on their breed type and also on high milk production which is what some of the bloodlines in New Zealand could benefit from.

    [19.7.2007]

RARE GOATS SHOT

We have been shocked and sickened by the news from Betty Rowe that at least eight Arapawa goats have been shot at the » Arapawa Wildlife Sanctuary in Marlborough Sounds. Seven other goats are missing.

The shot animals belong to one of the rarest breeds of goat in the world – a breed that owes its survival to 34 years of work on their behalf by Betty. Many of those on the island have been hand reared.

Five people were seen in a speedboat, but they hid and took off at speed when approached.

The police are investigating.

Waimate Winter Show

The Waimate Winter Show was held in the Waimate Stadium on 30 June – 1 July 2006. Poultry entries were slightly down from last year but it was nonetheless a successful show again due largely to the efforts of Kevin and Noelene Wells and their band of keen members. There were fabulous displays of chooks, ducks, bantams, pigeons, cagebirds, cats, vegetables and craftware. There was considerable involvement of local schoolchildren in poultry-related colouring competitions.

In this photo of Waimate Winter Show members "the Hammers", Mrs Hammer keeps a close eye on husband Ron as he removes the top birds from the rostrum cages to put back into the Exhibitors' pens on Saturday evening 1 July.

– Peter Robb

      [3.7.2006]

Poultry Show Sales

At the Dunedin Poultry Show, held in the new Forrester Park location on 27-28th May 2006, over $3000 worth of poultry was sold on behalf of vendors. One third of this was of utility point of lay pullets.
Peter Robb, the Show Manager for the Dunedin Poultry, Pigeon and Cagebird Club, considers this is significant for a Poultry Show within a New Zealand city, and wonders if it may reflect a new trend in urban lifestyle. Could it possibly be grounds for appealing for a change in curent bylaws on Poultry Keeping within the City Boundary?       [21.6.2006]

      Visitors to this Website may have noticed that some of the breed description pages have a different "look" or design from others. This is because we are in the process of upgrading them to better suit the high-resolution monitors that are now becoming more common on new computers, and we are taking the opportunity to enhance the look (or 'livery') of the pages at the same time. As all website work is done on a voluntary basis, this upgrading can be done only as time permits – with over 200 pages to be upgraded, it's quite a slow process.
    [15.2.2006]
 

ANIMAL STATUS DECLARATIONS

      Although it difficult to get any clear and useful information, it appears that a new Animal Status Declaration form must accompany the movement of sheep, lambs, goats, alpacas, llamas, ostriches, emus, cattle and deer from one property to another or to slaughter (the latter case including horses) from 1 January 2006. This is stated on the back of the new Animal Status Declaration form, which can be downloaded from the » AHB Website although elsewhere on the site it appears to refer only to cattle and deer.
    [6.12.2005]
 

ARAPAWA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

      Betty Rowe advises us of the finalization of plans for the Betty and Walter Arapawa Wildlife Trust becoming a reality. This will ensure that after her death the unique animals on the island will always have a home, and the Sanctuary area will remain a wilderness and not be developed. This is especially important for the Arapawa pigs as apart from two Canterbury breeders there has been little interest in breeding them. [See also Arapawa Wildlife Sanctuary.]
    [5.12.2005]

WELSH PIGS

Russell Lyon has recently supplied information on a move by pig breeders in Great Britain to rejuvenate the popularity of the traditional Welsh pig. Around 50 years ago, the Welsh was one of the most popular breeds in the UK, but it is now on the "at risk" list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Only a relatively small number of this breed was brought into New Zealand, and the last registered Welsh pig (a boar) died about a year ago. In Australia, the breed died out about 1995.

We would be interested to know more about Welsh pigs in New Zealand, especially if anyone still has any (unregistered) animals.
E-mail: webmaster@rarebreeds.co.nz
      [4.8.2005]

AYLESBURY DUCKS

We would be interested in locating any original lines of Aylesbury ducks in New Zealand. It is of particular importance that these have the flesh-coloured bills of the genuine Aylesbury breed.
      E-mail replies to:
      website@rarebreeds.co.nz
      [14.7.2005]

CHOOKS WANTED FOR SAMOA

The Animal Production and Health Division (APHD) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Samoa has obtained technical support from the Regional Programme for Food Security to source Rhode Island Reds and Wyandottes for a village chook improvement programme.
See » Webmart for contact details.
See also » FAO Pacific Website.
      [25.3.2006]

Surprise Fawn

"At the end of March we had a little white stag fawn born. Fawning is usually in November and December and our fawns are all weaned and their mums are ready to go back to the stags in April as it's the mating season (or roar as its called). We saw his mum sitting by the gate with a pained expression on her face and thought that she was sick or injured, but on investigating found two little legs sticking out. What a shock. I have decided to hand rear "Storm" (as we have called him) as its a bit hard for a hind to try and make milk over the winter months when the grass is scarce. Cheers, Gail Simons, Stoney Oaks".       [8.4.2006]

Lifestyle Farmer Feature

There's a six-page feature on Stoney Oaks in the latest Lifestyle Farmer magazine. (Stoney Oaks is operated by Rare Breeds Conservation Society member Gail Simons.) Check it out – and see the Stoney Oaks website .       [22.3.2006]

Brain Disease Remedy
from Auckland Island Pigs?

In a report on DNA research on Auckland Island feral pigs, published in 2004, the authors noted that feral animals that have bred in the wild for a long time could be useful for generating new biomedical resources (see DNA Studies of Rare Breeds).

Recent work by Living Cell Technologies has shown that "biocapsules" made from the brain cells of Auckland Island pigs can significantly reduce brain cell damage in monkeys. If the current ban on using animal cells to treat humans could be overcome, it is possible that the process could be used as a new therapy for Huntington's disease. There is no cure for this disease which affects one in 15,000 New Zealanders.
    [30.8.2005]

PRIORITY LISTING OF RARE BREEDS

      To indicate which breeds come high in the Rare Breeds Conservation Society’s priorities as in need of conservation, a number of breeds have been singled out and marked with a small red star () on the Website’s » List of Rare and Minority Breeds page and on the appropriate Breed pages. See » Priority Listing for details.     [19.4.2004]

CHOOK GENES WANTED
Can anyone help out here?

The Australorp flock of the National Agricultural Research Institute, Papua New Guinea, needs new genes. We are the main supplier of dual-purpose purebred breeding stock to smallholder farmers and the demand is growing rapidly. These are used as a step up from the traditional village chicken by people who cannot readily access commercial hybrids or need the dual-purpose qualities. The problem we have is in acceding to quarantine requirements for importing fertile eggs – many small flocks may not be able to conform. If Australorps are not available then we could look at alternatives such as Rhode Island Red, Light Sussex or Plymouth Rock. Once I establish e-mail contact with a suitable breeder I can supply information on what is needed and we can discuss further how to proceed.
      Alan Quartermain,
      NARI Chief Scientist, Papua New Guinea.
      E-mail: quartermain@global.net.pg
      [2.7.2005]

AGROBIODIVERSITY DAY
24 September 2005

The SAVE Foundation (Safeguard for Agricultural Varieties in Europe) is proposing to make 24 September 2005 the first Agrobiodiversity Day. While this is intended primarily for European countries, information has been sent out internationally in the hope that other areas of the world would take up the idea. See SAVE's » aims and suggestions for further details of the European Agrobiodiversity Day and consider how this proposal might be implemented in New Zealand.

As a contribution towards this ideal, the Canterbury Section of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand will be operating a Rare Breeds exhibition stall at the Pet Expo to be held at Addington Raceway, Christchurch, on 24 and 25 September. If you are interested in helping out on the day please e-mail Suzanne Turner suz-turns@xtra.co.nz or contact David Hughes on (03) 328 7086, e-mail d.hughes@ext.canterbury.ac.nz Other Rare Breeds groups throughout New Zealand might like to consider holding an appropriate activity on that day - see SAVE's list of » aims and suggestions.
      [27.8.2005]

Administration Officer Appointed

For the first time a part-time paid Administration Officer has been appointed to work on contract for the Canterbury Section of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand (financed by local funds). Suzanne Turner – who was chosen from a number of very good candidates – commenced duties in April 2005, and will be working as a part-time secretary for the Canterbury Section.
    [27.4.2005]

HAMISH ENSOR – A VERY RARE MEMBER

A long time Rare Breeds member and supporter, and a prominent Dexter cattle breeder, Hamish Ensor of Methven, has been awarded the Queen's Service Order for community and public service in the Queen's Birthday honours list, announced today (6 June 2005).

Spending all his life as a traditional high country farmer, on Glenaan Station in the upper Rakaia valley in Canterbury, Hamish is noted for his contributions to both farming and conservation. Hamish is supported in all his work by his wife Belinda, and the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand extends to them both its warmest congratulations.
    [6.6.2005]

RARE BREED NUMBER PLATE

Lori and Peter Corriveau have Arapawa goats in the USA. Recently Lori sent this photo of their number plate to Betty Rowe, who in turn forwarded it on to the New Zealand Rare Breeds Website.
See Betty Rowe's Arapawa Wildlife Sanctuary for her account of saving the rare breeds of Arapawa Island, and Arapawa Goats in the USA for the story of how this rare breed got to America.
    [13.4.2005]

Southland Section Initiative

Alex Henderson and Ross Fraser with two Hokonui rams from the Southland Heirloom Breeds Charitable Trust which were inspected and tagged by Messrs Henderson and Bill Gibson as the first step in establishing a registration scheme for Hokonui feral sheep.

The Southland Section of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand is carrying out this project to find out how many flocks and sheep of the breed exist. It is hoped that this will provide a template for the registration of other feral breeds in New Zealand. Photograph courtesy of John Cutt of the Southland Times.

See » Hokonui Sheep for details of the breed.

    [25.2.2005]

KIKO GOATS IN THE USA

Rare Breeds Society member and United States Kiko goat breeder, Mike Wade, tells us that there are now more than 1,600 » Kiko goats (a rare breed that originated in New Zealand) registered with the » International Kiko Goat Association in North America. The Association currently has over 80 breeder-members.

See also Mike's article on » Kiko Goats in the USA.

Rare Breed Pigs in Danger

Breeders of the rare Arapawa Island Pig have expressed concern for the future of this breed – there is a real need for more breeders if it is to survive. See our » Arapawa Pigs page for details of this breed.     [28.3.2004]

WEBSITE UPDATE

Cross Links
We now have links from Breed pages to the appropriate Breeders Directory listings (and vice versa), thus enabling anyone interested in obtaining animals of a particular breed to easily see where they might be obtained.
Validation
All pages of the Website proper have now been validated by the World Wide Web Consortium for accuracy of XHTML and CSS, and the links on each page have been checked. This means that all practical steps have been taken to ensure that the Website is viewable on all browsers. (See » Website Information for more details.)

Kindred Association Membership of RAS

      At the Annual Conference of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand (RAS) held in Wellington from 23-25 June 2004, the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand's application for Kindred Association membership was approved. Other kindred members of the RAS include Black & Coloured Sheep Breeders Association, NZ Carriage Driving Society, NZ Equestrian Federation, and the NZ Kennel Club. Kindred Associations are able to attend meetings of the United Breeds Societies Council, which makes recommendations to the RAS, also district and annual meetings of the RAS.

      We now have a link to the » RAS website from our Links page, and they have one back to us.

      A new mission statement was presented by the RAS Executive at the Conference – "to promote, motivate and support the development of rural New Zealand by assisting our members to achieve their objectives". Promoting youth and district involvement in the Society have been identified as important focal areas for the future.
    [8.9.2004]

Successful Rare Breeds Auction

The Canterbury Section of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society held a successful  » Auction  on Sunday 13 March 2005. The weather was fine and participants came from as far away as Blenheim, Invercargill and the West Coast.

    Stock offered for sale included: CAMELIDS: Llama. CATTLE: Dexter. DONKEYS: Miniature. GOATS: Alpine, Angora Coloured, Nubian. HORSES: Miniature. PIGS: Arapawa, Auckland Island, Kunekune. RABBITS: Dwarf Lop, Flemish Giant, Mini Rex. SHEEP: Arapawa, English Leicester, Gotland Pelt, Karakul. BANTAMS: Ancona, Andalusian, Australorp, Frizzle, Game, Hamburgh, Leghorn, O E Game, Pekin, Polish, Rhode Island Red, Sebright, Sussex, Wyandotte. HEAVY POULTRY: Australorp, Barnevelder, Plymouth Rock, Campine, Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Sussex, Wyandotte. LIGHT POULTRY: Araucana, Gamefowl, Hamburgh, Leghorn, Minorca, O E Game, Polish, Silkie. DUCKS: Appleyard, Cayuga, Harlequin, Magpie, Muscovy, Pekin, Swedish. GEESE: Cape Barren, Chinese, Sebastapol. SWANS: Black. PEAFOWL: Pied. GUINEAFOWL. PHEASANTS: Golden, Lady Amhurst, Mutant Yellow, Ringneck, Silver, Swinhoe, Yellow. DOVES: Barbary, Diamond. PIGEONS: Bronzewing, Cap, Fantail, Frill-back, Nun, Pouter, Tumblers, White. QUAIL: Japanese.

    [13.3.2005]

Pig Breeders Show and Sale

The NZ Pig Breeders Association National Show & Sale will be held at Stratford Showgrounds on 13th and 14th May 2005. Entries include rare breeds: Berkshire, Wessex Saddleback, Tamworth, and Large Black.
Contact: Bruce Miller, phone: (03) 329 7861, e-mail: bru.miller@xtra.co.nz     [21.5.2005]

Invercargill Poultry and Pigeon Show

The Invercargill Poultry and Pigeon Club's 95th Annual Show will be held in the Drill Hall, Victoria Avenue, Invercargill, on 13-14 May 2005. Entries close 30 April. The Show secretary is Yvonne Service, e-mail yservice@paradise net.nz

    [26.3.2005]

New Rabbitry Opened

Michael Willis, Catreona Kelly, Jean and John Donaldson at the opening of the new Rare Breeds Conservation Society's Enderby Rabbit breeding and display facility at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch, on 12 December 2004. The opening was followed by an "end-of-season" barbecue by Canterbury members. The rabbitry facility was sponsored by the Canterbury Section of the Society.

    [13.12.2004]

Derby has died

Derby, the only purebred Enderby Island bull in existence, has died. Fortunately, 220 straws of really good quality semen had previously been obtained from him. The cause of death is not known at this stage.

The Enderby girls are all looking well (the two non pregnant ones in particular!) and the pregnant ones are due any day. Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for a better outcome than last year.     [20.10.2004]

In breaking news (as they say) we hear that a heifer calf has just been born to one of the Enderby cows.     [23.10.2004]

See » Enderby Cattle for details of this rarest of cattle breeds (and a photo of Derby in his prime).

Rare Breeds at Invercargill Show

The Rare Breeds display at the Royal Show in Invercargill on 9-11 December 2004 was again very successful.

Included were Hokonui, Diggers Hill and Stewart Island sheep, Minorca fowls and Red Poll cattle. There was a lot of interest, particularly from breeders of Rare Breeds who are not members of the Society at present. The assistance of the Southland A&P Association, Franks Timber, Gold Pine and Mark Hunt is gratefully acknowledged. In the competitive classes Ryeland sheep, Highland, Belted Galloway and Dexter cattle, Clydesdale horses and Hackney ponies all contributed to the Royal show.

    [12.12.2004]

Record Month for Visitors

November 2004 was another record month for Website visitor numbers. The New Zealand Rare Breeds website was visited 16,452 times by 15,524 individual visitors – an average of 517 per day. (See also » Website Visitors.)

Turkeys were the most popular breed with 1806 visits during the month, followed by both heavy and miniature horses.

    [1.12.2004]

KIKOFEST IN THE USA

The 2004 KikoFest has been described in Goat Biz magazine as "...a bright spot in the history of the meat goat industry." Besides a series of seminars, discussions and committee meetings (not forgetting goat meat dishes), a Kiko goat auction was held, with 68 animals sold. At the auction, the best selling Kiko buck fetched $US2800, the best doe $US2200.

See also Mike's article on » Kiko Goats in the USA.

TURKEYS

    Currently the » Turkey page is the most popular on the Rare Breeds Website – over 2000 visitors have requested this page in the past few weeks.

    This is a little embarrassing as the page has little specific information on it – in fact there is a request on the page for additional information.

    Please, is there anyone out there who can tell us about breeds of turkeys in New Zealand? We'd love to hear from you (contact the » Webmasters).

    [28.11.2004]

Arapawa Goats in the UK

A shipment of New Zealand's very rare Arapawa goats has been exported successfully to the UK. The goats arrived in excellent condition in May and are now settled in with their new owners. The photo shows Toby and Nelson in their box on their arrival. Full story in the August 2004 issue of Rare Breeds NewZ.
See also » Arapawa Goats Arrive in the UK.
    [4.8.2004]

6th World Congress on Coloured Sheep
Christchurch, New Zealand, 12-17 November 2004

The Programme is coming together, with a balance of sheep and wool, theory and hands-on, international and local. There will even be pens of sheep on the venue hotel lawn!
Congress Competition classes have now been finalized. There are sections for a range of woolcrafts, posters, sheepskins and photography, as well as sheep and fleece classes. For details see the Black and Coloured Sheepbreeders website accessible from our Links page.
    [replaced 14.9.2004 – final version removed 17.11.2004]

Hokonui Sheep Sold

Rare Breeds Conservation Society member Alex Henderson of Southland advises that his Hokonui flock sold very well at a recent clearing sale auction, ending his 20-year affiliation with the breed. The sheep had created a lot of interest due to articles in the local paper, the Southland Times and bidding was robust.

      Ewes made $105 each for the whole line
      Rams made $90 each for the whole line, and
      Lambs made $110each for the whole line ( all plus GST)

They all went to one buyer who is starting up a tourist venture in Western Southland. Alex has been a loyal supporter of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society, and we wish him well in the future.

    [30.4.2004]

Notice to all Pig Breeders and Owners – Inter-Island Movement Control

POST-WEANING MULTISYSTEMIC WASTING SYNDROME (PMWS)

The whole of New Zealand is now a movement-controlled area with respect to pigs. A permit is currently required to move any pigs or pig reproductive material from the North Island to the South Island. To apply for a permit, call freephone 0800 80 9966. At present there is no evidence of the occurrence of PMWS in the South Island – your co-operation is sought by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand, in maintaining this area clear of infection. For more detailed information see www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/pests-diseases/animals/pmws/     [26.2.2004]

RARE BREEDS SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 2004 AGM of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand will be held at Staglands Wildlife Reserve, Akatarewa Valley, in Upper Hutt, on Saturday, 26 June 2004.
Meeting convenes at 2.00 p.m. in room off the main café.
Dinner in evening commencing 7.30 p.m. (approximate cost $25).
Guest speaker at dinner (to be confirmed) Dr John Holland. He is a research economist involved in saving animals and birds. Working on the NZ Falcon as well as elephants in Africa. A very entertaining speaker.
A visit to Staglands Reserve will be arranged for all attendees over the weekend.

For details please contact: Russell Lyon, phone (06) 356 1985
e-mail janice-lyon@clear.net.nz

    [14.4.2004]

CANTERBURY AUCTION REPORT

A crowd of over 500 enjoyed a fine day at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch for the Canterbury Section of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand's annual Rare and Unusual Livestock Auction, held on 14 March 2004. Auction goers were treated to a close up look at the unique goats caught last year on Banks Peninsula; also on display were two of the miniature cattle from the Willowbank Stud, which created a lot of interest. All stock was produced in good order, with 54 vendors putting up 956 birds and animals in 408 lots. The large number of entries this year meant the crowd had to stay on their toes with two sales running simultaneously.
Sheep – four breeds entered with the top price of $800 for a pen of Karakuls (one ram and two ewes).
Pigs – top price of $200 for a 2½ year old Saddleback sow.
Cattle – small entries with a top price of $250 for a 12 week old Dexter bull.
Llamas – top price for a female Llama, $2,500.
Horses – top price of $750 for a miniature mare.
Donkeys – top price of $750 for a young English male.
Goats – eight breeds offered in 20 lots, top price being $400 for a British Alpine Doe.
Rabbits – top price of $40 for a Netherland Dwarf Sable Doe.
All poultry saw good demand for quality birds.
Heavy fowls – top price of $42 each on a lot of Blue Orpingtons.
Light fowls – top price of $32 each on a lot of Buff Silkies.
Bantams – top price $26 each for a lot of Blue Pekins.
Ducks – 14 different breeds in 32 lots with the top price of $126 for a trio of Blue Swedish.
Geese – top price of $34 each on a lot of Chinese.
Turkeys – only three lots offered with the top price of $40 for two Black and White Turkeys.
Guinea fowl – prices were down on last year with the best price of $16 each on three unsexed normals.
Pheasants – top price of $100 each on a pair of Reeves.
Quail – $32 each on a pair of Bobwhites.
Peafowl – top price of $90 for one pair.
Pigeons and Doves were not in demand with bargain prices on all lots.
With 10% of all proceeds going to Rare Breeds projects, the organisers acknowledge the support of the auctioneers, Rural Livestock, Allflex, Willowbank staff, and all those who volunteered their time to make it a very successful auction.

    [23.3.2004]

TURKEY BREEDS IN NEW ZEALAND

Can someone please tell us what breeds of turkeys are recognized in New Zealand? We've got as far as 'Bronze' but we know there are others. Besides wishing to put something definitive on the Website, we've had an enquiry from England from someone who is writing a book about Turkeys, and wishes to include something about breeds in other countries.
Bev and Michael, Website Monitors – e-mail website@rarebreeds.co.nz
    [17.1.2004]

ENGLISH LONGHORNS

We are trying to locate breeders of English Longhorn Cattle in New Zealand. Would anyone who has any information please contact Bev and Michael, phone (03) 313 6454 or e-mail website@rarebreeds.co.nz     [Removed 13.12.2003]

KIKO GOATS

We would like to contact anyone who is breeding Kiko goats in New Zealand.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Contact: Michael Trotter / Bev McCulloch,
Website Monitors, 170 Tuahiwi Road, R. D. 1, KAIAPOI 8252
Phone (03) 313 6454, Fax (03) 313 6451
E-mail: website@rarebreeds.co.nz     [Removed 13.12.2003]

PITT ISLAND SHEEP

We have had several enquiries from people wishing to breed Pitt Island sheep. If you are a breeder who has stock available and would like to help, we would very much like to hear from you.

Contact: Michael Trotter / Bev McCulloch,
Website Monitors, 170 Tuahiwi Road, R. D. 1, KAIAPOI 8252
Phone (03) 313 6454, Fax (03) 313 6451
E-mail: website@rarebreeds.co.nz     [Removed 13.12.2003]

DNA Test Results

Results of DNA testing on Enderby Island cattle and Auckland Island pigs have been recently published. A summary of the results follows:

Enderby Cattle: The semen of nine bulls collected in 1993 during the cattle cull was used for testing. The results were compared with those from seven other breeds – Angus, Friesian, Belted Galloway, Hereford, Jersey, Shetland and Danish Shorthorn. All of these except the Jersey could be eliminated as not being closely related. The Jersey was the most likely contender, but note that the results did not prove conclusively that the Enderby cattle originated from Jersey stock.

(No genotype data were available for comparison with British Shorthorns which is the breed anecdotally suggested as that originally introduced to Enderby Island.)

Auckland Island Pigs: Blood samples from five of the seventeen pigs collected on Auckland Island in 1999 were used in DNA studies. These were compared with those from a wide range of modern domestic pig breeds and wild boar from both Europe and Asia.

The results indicated that the Auckland Island pigs are a single breeding population most likely of European domestic origin.

Special Donkeys ?

Ross Fraser has noted a paddock of white donkeys in his area. He plans to pay a visit and find out more.
(Our own Ponui Donkeys are very light coloured, and Australian Teamster Donkeys produce rare all-white animals.) We will keep you posted!
 

Enderby Rabbits Exported to USA

Rabbit enthusiast, Bob Whitman of the USA, has imported ten Enderby rabbits from New Zealand, supplied by Canterbury breeders, Sitereh and Chris Schouten and Lorne and Pamela Kuehn. Bob tells us that this was the first time live rabbits of any sort have been exported from New Zealand, and a number of problems had to be overcome before this could be done. The rabbits had to endure a thirty-plus hour trip on five different planes before arriving at his place in Houston, Texas. Bob will be compiling a history of the rabbits and his experiences in getting them to America. In the meantime he has photographs of them on his » Rare Bits and Pieces website.
 

GALAPAGOS ISLAND RESCUE EXPEDITION

Michael Willis, Canterbury Section, Rare Breeds Society

    A group of wildlife and Rare Breed enthusiasts have embarked on a project within the Galapagos Islands, a World Heritage Park. These mystical Islands and their wildlife helped spark Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and since that voyage of the Beagle, have captured the imagination of all who have read of them, and their incredible wildlife of marine iguanas, giant turtles, and small finches.
    The Galapagos also became a liberation point for a range of domestic species, including goats, cattle, donkeys, and poultry etc.   As in New Zealand, eradication programmes have had to be introduced to protect the native species, but again as in New Zealand, several of these introduced breeds also have now established an importance in their own right.
    The Auckland Island Pig relocation project (see » Auckland Island Pigs project) was heard about by members of the Galapagos Conservation Board, who asked if it would be possible for anyone to assist in a similar project on the Islands. It has taken a further two years for the necessary permits and protocols to be approved.
    In July this year a party of twelve New Zealanders will depart for Ecuador, and on to the Galapagos. Their mission will be to capture up to twenty wild donkeys whose ancestors were released in the early 1800s, and return with them to a breeding farm for long term evaluation and protection. Logistically it is a mission impossible. There is no easy way to capture the animals who will then have to be manoeuvred about 15 kilometres or so to a beach, where they have to be swum or otherwise got out to a boat to get them to the nearest port, before loading them on a steamer for Ecuador. Some members of the team have been involved in the relocation of the Enderby Island Rabbits, the Enderby Cattle, and the Auckland Island Pigs (see » Rare Breeds Society Projects) and so the Society has a strong presence of experienced people in what amounts to an International operation.
    In this regard this project can be seen as a major step forward for the Rare Breeds movement worldwide. It shows the need for Rare Breeds International to become involved in active conservation projects, particularly in and about the Pacific Rim. It shows that we do care, we can assist, and the benefit of communication and working together.

First calf born to Enderby Island clone

Dave Matheson

The latest news is that a calf was born to a second Enderby Island clone heifer on 20 October 2002. See below for details of the first one.

    On 30 September 2002 a heifer calf was born to one of the cloned Enderby Island heifers. This was a little unexpected as the heifer had no milk and the calf had felt rather small on the pregnancy test. However, I think this may be normal for this breed. The calf is small but vigorous and is feeding off mum.
    The Enderby cattle have wintered well in a thirty-acre paddock. Two of the heifers have continued to have bouts of diarrhoea, but this was thoroughly checked when they were at Hamilton. They improve when drenched with minerals containing iodine – possibly tied in with the habits of their ancestors who ate seaweed. (Seaweed is reputed to be high in iodine.)
    The heifer who had the calf was one of the two with diarrhoea, but she seems well after the birth. The other cattle are all doing very well, Lady and Derby being in show condition.
    This birth brings the total number of Enderby Island cattle in the world to six.