Giant wētā return to NZ islands

For almost 200 years, we've been missing a key ingredient from our native forests - the wetapunga, the largest of New Zealand's 11 species of giant weta. For the past decade Auckland Zoo has been breeding wetapunga, and just last week released over 300 juveniles onto two predator-free islands in the Bay of Islands. Auckland Zoo ectotherm curator, Don McFarlane, says the importance of weta for a healthy ecosystem can't be overstated.