Photo of the week: Sirocco the kākāpō

To celebrate his ‘hatch-day’ today’s photo of the week is everyone’s favourite spokesbird, Sirocco the kākāpō.

Sirocco hatched 19 years ago on Codfish Island, a small pest-free island off the west coast of Stewart Island.

At three weeks old Sirocco suffered a respiratory illness which led to him being taken away from his mother and hand-raised by kākāpō rangers. He had to be raised away from other kakapo and this led to him being imprinted on humans.

Sirocco’s story had been shared on a variety of documentaries and television shows. In 2010 New Zealand Prime Minister John Key appointed Sirocco as the Official Spokesbird for Conservation.

You can wish Sirocco a ‘Happy Hatchday’ and follow his updates on Facebook and Twitter.