Endangered kakapo parrot gets pioneering brain surgery

A critically endangered kakapo parrot is making a “remarkable” recovery after a crack team of veterinary surgeons performed life-saving brain surgery in a world first.

Vets from across New Zealand adapted techniques previously only used on humans to correct a skull abnormality that left parts of the parrot’s brain exposed.

The 56-day-old chick, known as Espy 1B, is one of just 144 kakapos - the world’s fattest species of parrot - thought to be alive after they were hunted to near-extinction.

After rangers noticed a lump on its skull, New Zealand’s national airline flew the bird for free to Massey University's Wildbase Hospital, where a specialised team of surgeons was assembled for the pioneering procedure.

Professor Brett Gartrell, the director of the hospital, said there was only a thin layer of tissue between the chick's brain and the outside world.

"The plates of its skull had not completely fused and the fontanelle was still open,” said Gatrell, meaning part of the chick’s brain had herniated out of its skull.

“This condition could be life-threatening for the critically endangered bird, so action needed to be taken.”

Wildbase said that the operation appeared to have been a success a week later, adding that the chick is making a "remarkable recovery".

Kakapos used to be one of New Zealand's most common birds but are now classed as "critically endangered" after numbers dropped off due to hunting, predators introduced to New Zealand and deforestation.