Happy Thought for 23 January 2026

 

Have a Happy Thought:

Last week we all learned something about one time of “AI” – Large Language Models.

This week may I introduce you to the other type of AI – one known by farmers around the world: Artificial Insemination.

 

Side note: A few years ago I was hitch-hiking between some small towns on the South Island and was given rides by two separate women… who happened to be the two AI specialists for that region of the country. Apparently AI folk are good people! And because I am such a city girl, those car rides are how I learned about farming AI at the age of 42.

 

Artificial Insemination in animals can be done for many reasons – the farmers on the South Island often use it for their cows to help prevent injuries to the cows when the bulls are… over-enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, biologists are using AI to help an adorable endangered species – the kākāpō.

Image: kākāpō (Strigops habroptila) © Oscar Thomas, (CC BY-NC-ND)

 

You see, for the last few breeding seasons (kākāpō only breed when there is plenty of fruit, so every 3-5 years), biologists working to conserve these night parrots were working on making sure there is enough genetic diversity. Since the total population was down to 51 at one point, they want as many diverse matings as possible.

Enter AI. This helps make sure that birds that are too closely related don’t mate, and birds with few (or no) offspring yet have a chance for their genes to make it into the next generation.

Image: Department of Conservation. Operations Manager for Kākāpō Recovery, Deidre Vercoe with a kākāpō.

 

Then, just to be a little bit extra, in 2019 the scientists worked out that the sperm needed to get to the females pretty quickly, and kākāpō don’t generally hang out together. So the “target” female could be quite some ways away – on the other side of an entire rugged island for example.

And this is when kākāpō, who gave up their ability to fly thousands of years ago, began to have air-delivery Artificial Insemination. Yep, the birds can’t fly, but their sperm can!

The drone-deliveries, along with so much more effort by the Department of Conservation and volunteers, has helped increase the number of kākāpō to 236 (with some eggs already laid this season!)

 

If you want to learn more about kākāpō, this article has a really good summary of their odd mating behaviour, odd looks, near-extinction, and recent comeback.

Or, if you want to get not-at-all-creepily interested in this year’s mating season, you can listen to The Kākāpō Files podcast (yes, I do listen to this, why do you ask?)

Image: Department of Conservation. Ranger Sarah adds the first eggs to the Whenua Hou hut's 'fridge door' chart | DOC

 

This week for #ShareGoodNewsToo:

New Zealand’s amazing Mobile Operating Theatre-on-a-truck has been operating for 23 years and has treated 3500 rural patients that may otherwise have had difficulty getting to an often life-changing surgery.

Image: the plan of The Mobile Surgical Unit – Te Waka Hauora 

Image: the exterior of the Mobile Surgical Unit – Te Waka Hauora