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South Island Kiwi
Date: 17 November 2005
Although Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is home to the largest open display of kiwi, over the last season the New Zealand Conservation Trust at Willowbank is the only operation to take an active part in ‘Operation Nest Egg’ in the South Island with both Okarito Brown Kiwi (Rowi) and Haast Tokoeka eggs.
Three Haast Kiwi Eggs have been brought into the Reserve from the wild and one abandoned Okarito Brown Kiwi eggs has also arrived. These are driven or flown from the West Coast where they are met and immediately put into the incubators in the kiwi breeding centre.
Two Haast chicks have hatched and are growing well. One Haast egg was addled on arrival and sent to Massey University for appraisal while the other Okarito egg is due to hatch any day. The chicks are fed on worms until they accept an artificial diet which they remain on until their release back into the wild.
Mohua, a Great Spotted Kiwi from the Heaphy Track area has been at the New Zealand Conservation Trust’s facility since 6 August this year. She came after 15 months in the NZ Wildlife Health Centre at Massey as well as some time at Mt Bruce and Rainbow Springs with the tip of her beak broken. She lost about a centimetre off the end of her bill and both nostrils which are essential to help Kiwi scent worms when they are digging underground. Over time at Massey, she has grown part of her bill back and although she is able to find some food she still needs daily hand feeding.
Kiwis bred at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve through the efforts of the New Zealand Conservation Trust and staff at the reserve, are part of New Zealand’s most successful captive breeding programme.
Subsequently over the last several years the excess birds have been distributed to other organisations and attractions with in New Zealand as well as releasing North Island Brown Kiwi into the wild at Mt Bruce in 2003.
As an endangered species the Kiwi at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve come under the governance of the Department of Conservation and are bred by funding sought by the New Zealand Conservation Trust and the time of staff at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
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Willowbank Wildlife Reserve & Restaurant
60 Hussey Road, Christchurch
New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 359 6226
Fax: +64 3 359 6212
Email: info@willowbank.co.nz
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