Tane Tartlon was preparing to launch his boat into Milford Sound when he unexpectedly gained a couple of feathered companions—two cheeky alpine parrots, known as keas!
These birds are not just striking in appearance; they’re also notorious for their playful and mischievous behavior. As a result, Tane ended up capturing some rather amusing footage of their antics. Check it out for yourself!
This wasn’t Tane’s first run-in with the curious keas. In his post, he shared a story of their previous encounter:
“My first encounter was during a hike where they completely destroyed our tent overnight, biting through every elastic peg holder and even putting a hole in my bag that was inside to get to the food,” Tane explained.
He continued by saying, “I recently discovered that these fascinating birds are actually endangered, with only around 7,000 left in the wild. It’s incredible to see them up close, but man, they really do love to stir up some trouble!”
Despite their chaotic behavior, these alpine parrots left Tane with a memorable experience. Now, he has two wild kea encounters to reflect on whenever he needs a good laugh.
Viewers of the video were thoroughly entertained by the keas’ visit and shared their thoughts in the comments.
“You brought them an amazing chew toy. How could they resist such a thoughtful gift!” one commenter joked.
Another person pointed out, “They are like that because they are one of the most intelligent birds, boredom + intelligence = chaos.”
Though Tane might prefer to avoid the chaos of chewed-up gear and noisy interruptions, he probably can’t help but feel lucky to have been visited by such spirited creatures before setting out on his adventure.
When you venture into nature, you can never be too sure what surprises await you. In Tane’s case, the excitement began right there in the parking lot!
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https://www.tiktok.com/@tanetarlton/video/7412874542768475397