Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — New Zealand has successfully restored the population of the wētāpunga (Deinacrida heteracantha), one of the largest and heaviest insects in the world.
The result was made possible by a long-term captive breeding programme followed by the release of the insects into areas protected from predators.
The wētāpunga is a species of giant wētā. Females can reach around 10 centimetres in length, while their leg span can measure approximately 20 centimetres. The weight of individual specimens can be comparable to that of a small mouse.
The species was once widespread in northern New Zealand. However, the introduction of predators and the loss of natural habitat led to a sharp decline in its population. On the mainland, the wētāpunga effectively disappeared from the wild, surviving only on several islands.
To restore the population, specialists from Butterfly Creek and Auckland Zoo established a captive breeding programme. After being raised under specially created conditions, the insects were released in predator-protected areas.
Over 15 years, around 11,000 wētāpunga were reintroduced into the wild. The insects were released on eight islands and in two fenced reserves on the mainland.
Self-sustaining populations have already formed in some areas, where at least four generations of wētāpunga have been born.
Specialists regard this as an indication of sustainable reproduction of the species without constant human intervention.
Conservation efforts have improved the status of the wētāpunga. In 2004, the species was classified as nationally threatened with extinction, but it was subsequently moved to the category of species with increasing populations.
According to The Guardian, the recovery of the wētāpunga was the result of a long-term conservation programme for a species that had previously been threatened by invasive predators and the loss of its natural habitat.
