<p>The number of kākāpō chicks has climbed to 54, with plenty more fertile eggs still to hatch on Whenua Hou and Pukenui/Anchor Island. Remote monitoring technology shows that seven kākāpō mums on Te Kakahu/Chalky Island are likely raising chicks as well. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme is using a genetic ranking system to prioritise how much management attention each chick receives – Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura, for instance, is foster mum to a silver chick and also a gold chick. The oldest chick, Tiwhiri-A1, is ranked gold and a ground-breaking new portable PCR that allows rapid sex-testing of chicks on the islands has shown that he is a male.</p><p><strong><em>Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]</em></strong></p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><p>00:00 – Introduction<br/>01:00 - Maddy Whittaker with egg and chick updates<br/>03:50 – Males are stopping booming<br/>08:00 – Rimu fruit ripening<br/>08:40 – Chick and hatching deaths<br/>09:30 – Updates on Alison, Queenie &amp; Cyndy, &amp; Tiwhiri-A1<br/>14:46 - Andrew Digby on genetic ranking system for chicks<br/>21:20 – Sex-testing chicks using PCR<br/>25:25 – Alyssa Salton with kākāpō egg 101<br/>29:58 - Closing credits&#8230;</p><p><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/wild-sounds?share=f492fda2-dad5-4a0e-a6ac-a80d235df0b1">Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details</a></p>