Tahi arrived in November 2018 as an adult male after being found injured at Westwood, Dunedin. He had sustained a badly fractured humerus, which the team at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital repaired using surgical pins before he was transferred to the Kārearea Falcon Trust to continue his rehabilitation.

Despite everyone's best efforts, Tahi's wing did not recover sufficiently for him to be returned to the wild.

In 2020, Tahi was paired with Kōwhai in the Trust's captive breeding programme, giving him the opportunity to contribute to the recovery of his species. Although Tahi and Kōwhai formed a compatible pair, his permanently impaired wing made it difficult for him to balance effectively during copulation, limiting the pair's breeding success.

In 2026, Tahi sadly began showing signs of possible arthritis developing in one of his feet. Coupled with the decision to give Kōwhai the best opportunity to breed successfully with a more able-bodied male, the pair were separated so our team could focus on investigating Tahi's condition and developing the best long-term plan in conjunction with our veterinarians. This allows Tahi to receive the dedicated health care and monitoring he needs, while ensuring Kōwhai still has the opportunity to contribute to recovery of her species.

For now, Tahi is enjoying life as one of the Trust's "bachelor boys" while receiving plenty of care and aroha from our team.

PLATINUM -

GOLD - The Carr Family, Christchuch NZ (3rd year of adoption)

SILVER - Sutherland Family, Blenheim NZ

BRONZE - Tim & Sharyn Jones, Nelson, NZ (2nd year of adoption)

SCHOOL -