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\nThe K\u0101rearea found injured on a rural highway near Lake Tekapo
\nPhoto: Supplied\/DOC\n<\/p>\n
A k\u0101rearea is on the mend after the efforts of good Samaritans got the injured bird from Lake Tekapo to the top of the South Island.<\/p>\n
The k\u0101rearea\/New Zealand falcon was found by Takap\u014d woman Emilie Marinissen on State Highway 8, near the town, a week ago.<\/p>\n
“I was worried about the k\u0101rearea as it was clearly not well and his eye was badly damaged,” Marinissen said.<\/p>\n
She rang the Department of Conservation (DOC) and kept the injured bird in a dark box while she waited for DOC staff to collect it.<\/p>\n
Ranger Dean Nelson said the falcon could have been clipped by a car or injured itself while hunting for road kill.<\/p>\n
Several drivers pitched in to get the bird to the K\u0101rearea Falcon Trust in Blenheim where it could have a long-term home.<\/p>\n
“This is where the ‘falcon taxi’ started as we rang two people who we knew were driving down to Twizel from Christchurch for a meeting on the kak\u012b\/black stilts. They were able to pick up the injured bird,” Nelson said.<\/p>\n
It was assessed by a vet in Christchurch who said it needed specialist help and the bird was then taken to Dunedin’s Wildlife Hospital, where it was found to have a badly damaged left eye and a dislocated shoulder.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4JN5B56_K_rearea_on_his_journey_JPG.jpeg\")
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\nThe k\u0101rearea is now on the mend after being found injured.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/DOC\n<\/p>\n
“The vet’s advice was it would be risky for it to be released back into the wild as they only hunt with their eyes and it probably wouldn’t survive,” Nelson said.<\/p>\n
“From the local vet to the drivers who took the bird to Dunedin and then north and then of course Emilie from Takap\u014d – that’s ‘community naturing’ caring for our native species.<\/p>\n
Once it had recovered the bird would enter the K\u0101rearea Falcon Trust’s breeding programme.<\/p>\n
Trust manager Holly Turner said the bird had settled in well and was receiving ongoing treatment for its damaged eye.<\/p>\n
The trust has produced 87 chicks since its breeding programme began in 2013 and, as well as caring for injured k\u0101rearea, they help boost wild populations of the threatened falcon.<\/p>\n