There are only about 300 takahe birds left in the world, and the species was thought to be extinct as late as 1948, Radio New Zealand reports . The killings have angered Maori groups who agreed to allow the rare birds to be moved from their native South Island to Motutapu for conservation purposes. Rino Tirakatene, a member of New Zealand's parliament, says there are now calls for the birds to be returned. "There's no way that they would send their treasured takahe to a sanctuary for it to be slaughtered," he says.