Biologists Said This Mountain Was Dead — Then One Farmer's 47-Km Fence Brought Back 700 Species
Make Tech Future
47,967 views
The 47‑km Predator Fence That Saved New Zealand’s Kiwi — Everyone Said the Kiwi Was Doomed
A 47-kilometer predator-proof fence in New Zealand helped bring kiwi back to a mountain where their calls had been silent for nearly 100 years. What began with farmer David Wallace and a 17-acre experiment eventually became Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, one of the world's largest fenced ecological sanctuaries and a remarkable experiment in native wildlife restoration.
This documentary explores how Maungatautari, a sacred volcanic mountain in New Zealand's Waikato region, was protected from invasive predators including rats, stoats, possums, cats, ferrets, weasels, pigs, goats, and deer. Completed in 2006, the 47-km predator exclusion fence surrounds approximately 3,400 hectares of native forest, creating a refuge where some of New Zealand's most endangered birds and reptiles could recover.
The results have been extraordinary. Today, Maungatautari supports more than 700 native species and close to 3,000 kiwi. Native beetle populations increased dramatically after predator removal, Hochstetter's frogs multiplied, and species including takahē, kākā, hihi, tīeke, tuatara, kōkako, and kākāpō returned. In 2025, a male kākāpō produced its famous mating boom on the mountain—the first time that sound had been heard on mainland North Island in more than a century.
Today We examine the science behind predator-free conservation, kiwi recovery, invasive species control, ecological restoration, mainland wildlife sanctuaries, biodiversity recovery, native forest restoration, and Predator Free 2050.
• David Wallace's original predator-fence experiment and the stoat attack that changed its design
• Construction of the 47-km Maungatautari predator-proof fence and removal of invasive mammals
• Nearly 3,000 kiwi, more than 700 native species, and the historic return of kākāpō to mainland New Zealand
This channel explores ecological restoration, wildlife recovery, rewilding, conservation science, and the people rebuilding threatened ecosystems around the world.
19 Comments
Calling it a ZOO is just negative inflammatory jargon.
The current bunch want to mine the Coromandel ffs.
This applies to humans also.
Biologists Said This Mountain Was Dead — Then One Farmer's 47-Km Fence Brought Back 700 Species
Make Tech Future
47,967 views
The 47‑km Predator Fence That Saved New Zealand’s Kiwi — Everyone Said the Kiwi Was Doomed
A 47-kilometer predator-proof fence in New Zealand helped bring kiwi back to a mountain where their calls had been silent for nearly 100 years. What began with farmer David Wallace and a 17-acre experiment eventually became Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, one of the world's largest fenced ecological sanctuaries and a remarkable experiment in native wildlife restoration.
This documentary explores how Maungatautari, a sacred volcanic mountain in New Zealand's Waikato region, was protected from invasive predators including rats, stoats, possums, cats, ferrets, weasels, pigs, goats, and deer. Completed in 2006, the 47-km predator exclusion fence surrounds approximately 3,400 hectares of native forest, creating a refuge where some of New Zealand's most endangered birds and reptiles could recover.
The results have been extraordinary. Today, Maungatautari supports more than 700 native species and close to 3,000 kiwi. Native beetle populations increased dramatically after predator removal, Hochstetter's frogs multiplied, and species including takahē, kākā, hihi, tīeke, tuatara, kōkako, and kākāpō returned. In 2025, a male kākāpō produced its famous mating boom on the mountain—the first time that sound had been heard on mainland North Island in more than a century.
Today We examine the science behind predator-free conservation, kiwi recovery, invasive species control, ecological restoration, mainland wildlife sanctuaries, biodiversity recovery, native forest restoration, and Predator Free 2050.
• David Wallace's original predator-fence experiment and the stoat attack that changed its design
• Construction of the 47-km Maungatautari predator-proof fence and removal of invasive mammals
• Nearly 3,000 kiwi, more than 700 native species, and the historic return of kākāpō to mainland New Zealand
This channel explores ecological restoration, wildlife recovery, rewilding, conservation science, and the people rebuilding threatened ecosystems around the world.