Whats happening
Plucky kiwi casts off injury
10 June 2010
A young BNZ Save the Kiwi Operation Nest Egg bird
that hatched at Auckland Zoo in 2007 was back unexpectedly last
month after being accidently run over near her home turf north of
Whangarei.
The plucky two-year-old female kiwi, whose left foot was broken in
the accident, is the first kiwi Zoo vets have ever had to put a
cast on, and they've been impressed with how well she has coped
with it.
Darkstar's first cast has just been replaced with
a smaller bandaged splint. Vets are hoping the bones in her foot
will be sufficiently healed by late June so that Department of
Conservation staff can re-release her back to the bush and olive
grove area behind Matapouri Bay that is her home.
"She's an incredibly laid back bird, and this, along with the fact that she's eating so well, and has even put on weight, is definitely helping her recovery," says the Zoo's New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM) vet, Dr John Potter.
Quick action saved Darkstar
Darkstar's Northland home territory is on private land owned by Mike Camm and family that is part of the Tutakaka Landcare Coalition (TLC). TLC is working to increase safe and pest-free kiwi zone areas for the Northland brown kiwi, and is currently trapping an area of 2,500ha.
It was the quick-thinking efforts of Northland locals Amanda and Roger Jones, who ensured Darkstar survived. After accidentally running her over on the night of 2 May, they chased and caught her, and took her to the Whangarei Bird Rescue Centre.
After five days at the Centre, she was released back home, but fitted with a radio transmitter so she could be tracked. Five days after being released Department of Conservation staff went to check on her, and discovered she had a swollen leg and was in bad shape.
Look out for kiwi!
DOC advise people to look for kiwi signs on the road, to drive carefully in kiwi zone areas, and remember that if you see something on the road, it's not necessarily a possum.
DOC says the best thing to do if you do hit a kiwi is to stop the car and get out to check. If it's injured, pick it up carefully and put it somewhere warm and quiet, then get in touch with DOC or your local bird recovery centre.
When Auckland Zoo vets give Darkstar a clean bill of health, she will be re-released by DOC staff, who will fit her with radio transmitter so she can be closely monitored.