New Zealand’s heaviest insect recovers after 11,000 releases
The wētāpunga, the world’s heaviest insect, has recovered from near-extinction in New Zealand following a 15-year breeding program that released over 11,000 individuals into the wild. Conservationists at Butterfly Creek and Auckland Zoo developed specialized feeding techniques to raise nymphs, leading to self-sustaining populations on predator-free islands. The species’ status has improved from 'Endangered' to 'Nationally Increasing,' with researchers now applying these methods to other threatened invertebrates.