Kiwi...

I have to admit I feel a bit like Hobbes when it comes to zoos, to some extent. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I feel awful about the trapped condition of the animals, but then again, I'd never see most of them up close if not for zoos or nature conservatories. Plus, they make people more aware of the importance of the animals to the environment and, in turn, actually help save them. Most zoos, nature conservatories, and wildlife centers have active programs to try and breed and save endangered species. I am aware of the irony.

The Mt. Bruce National Whildlife Centre is a similar place, but nicer in some ways. Many of the birds (such as the Kaka) come and go as they wish, but the ones that can't are almost always extremely endangered. If not for programs like these, it is possible several of these species would go extinct, and the added irony is that it would happen because of humans.

We are both the villain and the savior.

The kiwi are a perfect example of the need for places like Mt. Bruce.

There used to be many kiwi because they had no native natural predators. Evolution stripped them of the ability to fly because there was no need on an island with no predators. In fact, there are many flightless species of birds here, although 58 species of birds have apparently already gone extinct since man's arrival to the islands.

Europeans and others introduced non-native mammals to the island such as the stoat, which love to eat kiwi eggs. This has brought the kiwi close to extinction. Other destructive animals like the cat, rabbit and possum have been introduced, as well.



Deer, which were also introduced, now are mainly and quite literally raised like cattle. You see herds of fenced in deer all over the south island, especially.



Jerry would be in heaven - "Like shooting fish in a barrel!"

Where am I going with this?

Well, in pursuit of my desire to see a live kiwi in person, I visited Mt. Bruce. Since only 5% of kiwis survive to become adults, this program raises them and then releases them once they are old enough to survive on their own. These birds are extraordinarily rare. There were only two you could see, and one had recently been taken away for extra care because it was injured.

Kiwi are nocturnal. While raising kiwi, the Centre had their days reversed in the dens so our day was their night (feeding time), and during our night, they slept under UV lights to simulate daytime. You had to enter the den and wait at least 10 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Once your eyes adjusted, you could watch one of the kiwis hunt for worms and insects in the ground. It would poke its entire beak into the soil over and over again.

I took lots of video, but no stills (too dark for the Nikon and naturally no flash was allowed). However, the video camera has a night vision mode and I can capture stills from that. Here is one still from the video I shot (looks awful, but again, it is that crazy infrared night vision, so...):



They are a very unique and unusual creature. I am glad I was able to see one in person. I just hope the program at Mt. Bruce works and they do not go extinct. Everyone should be able to witness this amazing bird.