Wintry blast a blessing for kea strike group

The wintry blast set to blanket the south in snow could prove a blessing for the Kea Conservation TrustThe wintry blast set to blanket the south in snow could prove a blessing for a project to stop kea eating sheep.

A kea repellent's being trialled on a high-country station in Queenstown, in a bid to stop the birds attacking sheep, pecking them for food.

Kea Conservation Trust chair Tamsin Orr-Walker says kea strike is a major issue for high-country farmers, with one farm losing around 400 sheep over two years - either from attacks, the trauma of avoiding an attack, or blood poisoning.

She says the forecast snow could isolate the current trial group and put the repellent to the test.

"What tends to happen is if you do get a good snow dump then the sheep have issues with getting snow-bound and that actually makes them more susceptible to kea strike."