One sanctuary just counted almost 100 more of New Zealand's rarest parakeets.
285 counted in a single day, almost 100 more than last year.
LOUD AND INCREASING.
The annual survey at Brook Waimarama Sanctuary near Nelson counted more than 285 kakariki karaka — orange-fronted parakeets — on one day and 229 the next, almost 100 more than last year's count. The Department of Conservation called it a strong indicator of continued growth at the site, and reported it on September 17, 2026.
WHAT HAPPENED
Kakariki karaka are New Zealand's rarest mainland parakeet, with only around 450 thought to remain overall, almost all of them in predator-free sanctuaries and on offshore islands. Surveyors at Brook Waimarama counted over 285 birds in a single day and 229 the following day. A one-day count is a snapshot of one fenced sanctuary, not a precise national population estimate — but the jump of nearly 100 on last year is why DOC describes it as a strong sign the population there keeps growing.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
This is what predator fences and years of unglamorous trapping actually buy: a morning where the counters run out of fingers. The species is still rare and still dependent on protected ground. But the direction of travel in this one valley is up, loudly.
ORIGINAL SOURCENew Zealand Department of ConservationRead the original report
A DAILY ALLEGATION OF PROGRESS.
One good thing from the internet, every day. Nothing else.
MORE HOPESLOP
Three rehabilitated sea turtles became releases 497, 498 and 499 at a South Carolina aquarium.
Honey, Hope and Buffalo returned to the Atlantic after months of individualized care for fishhook injuries and related complications.
Sixteen percent of new U.S. utility-scale solar now arrives with battery storage.
That share was just 2% in 2017, and reported project plans put it above 30% for 2027 and 2028.
Barbados eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission as a public-health problem.
An independent WHO assessment found no such infant infections from 2022 through 2024, with 98% coverage for care, testing and treatment.