New Zealand’s love affair with the monarch butterfly has reached bizarre new heights, with some devotees performing wing transplants on the insects to give them a few extra weeks of life.
Although the butterflies are not classified as threatened or endangered, some lepidopterists have carried out the unusual surgery using techniques picked up from YouTube.
The operations involve removing the deformed or injured wings and repairing or fitting a new one from a dead monarch using tweezers, superglue and talcum powder.
On average monarchs live for between two to six weeks.
The operation is not painful for the butterfly, but experts and conservationists say the outcome for the animal is unknown, and efforts would be better directed towards cultivating flowers and plants that would attract and aid the wider population.
“To many people it’s just a butterfly, but to me it’s worth trying to save. There’s nothing to lose,” wing surgeon Linda Archer told Stuff in New Zealand.
“I’m a bit of a sook really, I just think you should help animals where you can.”
Dr Jennifer Jandt, a specialist in social insects at the University of Otago said although the stories of monarch enthusiasts devotion was “moving”, their efforts may be in vain, as some were replacing the wings of female monarchs with male wings, which would interfere with the mating process and could confuse the insects.
“As a human being I think this is a beautiful way to interact with nature. As a scientist I don’t see it as being an effective solution to the monarch issue,” said Jandt.
“It is important to let nature take its course, because the stronger animals are the ones you want to stay in the population. A sick or injured individual maybe has some sort of mutation, you don’t necessarily want that particular gene to perpetuate.”
Monarch butterflies are mainly found in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Jacqui Knight from the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust said videos of monarch wing transplants were largely produced in North America, and New Zealanders learnt techniques from the web and posted on forums asking for dead butterfly wings.
Knight said New Zealanders devotion to the monarch butterfly started more than half a century ago, when images of monarchs were painted on the sides of buildings.
“In New Zealand generally people are very attached to the monarch butterfly,” said Knight.
“But we don’t view the surgery as very effective. The chances are that butterfly is deformed through disease or pathogens; something that we can’t see. We think they should be left to their natural course.”
Dr Jandt said if people wanted to make their gardens monarch friendly planting zinnias, milkweed or swan plants was a good start.
“I think [wing surgery] is a cool way to interact with nature and understand that these animals are to be treasured, and there is a good feeling when you can help the monarch. What it does afterwards - we don’t know.”
