The kiwi, New Zealand’s national icon, could be heading for extinction on mainland New Zealand within 20 years. Conservationists are growing increasingly alarmed that the kiwi, the bird New Zealanders have adopted as their national symbol, could be literally wiped out.The odds are stacking up against this curious and eccentric creature that remains close to the hearts of New Zealanders.
The predators have gained the upper hand in the habitat of the kiwi, in the forests, wetlands, swamps and Alpine regions.
They are being attacked by roaming dogs, ferrets and feral cats; they get run over by cars; the juveniles are vulnerable to stoats, and the eggs of the young are being eaten by rats.
Once there were millions of kiwi all across New Zealand. Now there are around 78,000, most of them in remote areas of the country or on offshore islands.
"Kiwi live only in our country; there is nothing like them elsewhere in the world. Their closest relatives – the ostrich of southern Africa, the Australian emu and cassowary, the South American rhea – are more like the extinct moa than kiwi. It is the distinctiveness of the kiwi, its unusual shape, that has made a national icon of this instantly recognisable bird. All the more reason to protect the kiwi from extinction,” Chris Carter ,Minister for Conservation said.
Mammoth efforts are necessary if the bird-the symbol of the country itself- is going to survive.
The main threat to the survival of this vulnerable species are predators such as dogs, stoats and possums.
According to Reece, a ranger at Nga Manu Nature Reserve in Waikanae: “It is a grim future for the kiwi. They could be extinct on mainland New Zealand by 2020. All in all its not looking too good.”
The New Zealand Department of Conservation warn that numbers are “dwindling at an alarming level” and that the bird is “in danger of extinction.”
Many species in New Zealand are endangered, but the fact that its national symbol is endangered, has extra resonance amongst New Zealanders.
“Kiwis in particular are close to our hearts. We chose the bird as our national symbol and we call ourselves kiwis,” commented Toby Malcolm, a Wellington based ecologist, who works for GVN, a volunteer organisation that works closely with kiwi conservation groups.
The bird itself is a very curious creature indeed. It has nostrils on the tip of its beak, a brown fluffy coat, tiny wings and it cannot fly. It does not like humans and only comes out at night.“It is a very weird animal, rodent like, solitary and vulnerable. It has whiskers like a cat, an amazing thick coat and unlike most birds it does not have a ribcage,” said Carmel Richardson, the kiwi keeper at Rainbow Springs nature reserve.
Stoats, who reproduce at a rapid pace, are the biggest enemy of the kiwi, followed by dogs. “The kiwis just don’t stand a chance. Dogs just can’t resist the scent of a kiwi. One dog killed around 500 kiwi in Waitanti forest in Northland a few years back,” explained Ms Richardson.
“Stoats are a huge problem for us. They are literally the hunters, the killers. They are also quite difficult to monitor,” she added.
The survival of the bird depends on the success of government and volunteer conservation programmes and the implementation of predator control measures in the kiwi’s habitat.
One such programme is in Rotarua on the North Island, the city famous for reeking of rotten eggs. The stink is caused by sulphur drifting up through natural vents in the volcanic crust below. Just outside the city is Rainbow Springs, a nature reserve, where Operation Nest Egg is in full swing, a project aimed at reintroducing kiwi chicks back into the wild. At the facility the eggs of kiwi chicks are incubated and the chicks are then looked after until they reach the target weight of one kilogramme.
They are fed freshly minced beef heart mixed with oats and weighed daily. When they are released into the wild they are microchipped and a traditional prayer of the Maoiri, the native New Zealand people, is said to send them on their way.
“The chicks are then released into a predator managed forest or a predator free offshore island. Otherwise it is a waste of time,” said Ms Richardson. Since 1995 464 chicks have been hatched at the facility.
Unfortunately after all the care and attention the chicks receive at Rainbow Springs, once released into the wild 30 per cent of them die within six months.
To increase their chances of survival it is vital that their predators are managed.
Otherwise it will be time to say goodbye to kiwi.
The predators have gained the upper hand in the habitat of the kiwi, in the forests, wetlands, swamps and Alpine regions.
They are being attacked by roaming dogs, ferrets and feral cats; they get run over by cars; the juveniles are vulnerable to stoats, and the eggs of the young are being eaten by rats.
Once there were millions of kiwi all across New Zealand. Now there are around 78,000, most of them in remote areas of the country or on offshore islands.
"Kiwi live only in our country; there is nothing like them elsewhere in the world. Their closest relatives – the ostrich of southern Africa, the Australian emu and cassowary, the South American rhea – are more like the extinct moa than kiwi. It is the distinctiveness of the kiwi, its unusual shape, that has made a national icon of this instantly recognisable bird. All the more reason to protect the kiwi from extinction,” Chris Carter ,Minister for Conservation said.
Mammoth efforts are necessary if the bird-the symbol of the country itself- is going to survive.
The main threat to the survival of this vulnerable species are predators such as dogs, stoats and possums.
According to Reece, a ranger at Nga Manu Nature Reserve in Waikanae: “It is a grim future for the kiwi. They could be extinct on mainland New Zealand by 2020. All in all its not looking too good.”
The New Zealand Department of Conservation warn that numbers are “dwindling at an alarming level” and that the bird is “in danger of extinction.”
Many species in New Zealand are endangered, but the fact that its national symbol is endangered, has extra resonance amongst New Zealanders.
“Kiwis in particular are close to our hearts. We chose the bird as our national symbol and we call ourselves kiwis,” commented Toby Malcolm, a Wellington based ecologist, who works for GVN, a volunteer organisation that works closely with kiwi conservation groups.
The bird itself is a very curious creature indeed. It has nostrils on the tip of its beak, a brown fluffy coat, tiny wings and it cannot fly. It does not like humans and only comes out at night.“It is a very weird animal, rodent like, solitary and vulnerable. It has whiskers like a cat, an amazing thick coat and unlike most birds it does not have a ribcage,” said Carmel Richardson, the kiwi keeper at Rainbow Springs nature reserve.
Stoats, who reproduce at a rapid pace, are the biggest enemy of the kiwi, followed by dogs. “The kiwis just don’t stand a chance. Dogs just can’t resist the scent of a kiwi. One dog killed around 500 kiwi in Waitanti forest in Northland a few years back,” explained Ms Richardson.
“Stoats are a huge problem for us. They are literally the hunters, the killers. They are also quite difficult to monitor,” she added.
The survival of the bird depends on the success of government and volunteer conservation programmes and the implementation of predator control measures in the kiwi’s habitat.
One such programme is in Rotarua on the North Island, the city famous for reeking of rotten eggs. The stink is caused by sulphur drifting up through natural vents in the volcanic crust below. Just outside the city is Rainbow Springs, a nature reserve, where Operation Nest Egg is in full swing, a project aimed at reintroducing kiwi chicks back into the wild. At the facility the eggs of kiwi chicks are incubated and the chicks are then looked after until they reach the target weight of one kilogramme.
They are fed freshly minced beef heart mixed with oats and weighed daily. When they are released into the wild they are microchipped and a traditional prayer of the Maoiri, the native New Zealand people, is said to send them on their way.
“The chicks are then released into a predator managed forest or a predator free offshore island. Otherwise it is a waste of time,” said Ms Richardson. Since 1995 464 chicks have been hatched at the facility.
Unfortunately after all the care and attention the chicks receive at Rainbow Springs, once released into the wild 30 per cent of them die within six months.
To increase their chances of survival it is vital that their predators are managed.
Otherwise it will be time to say goodbye to kiwi.
